April 3, 2008 CONTACT: Beth Grace, Executive Director  (919) 789-2090 or beth@ncpress.com RALEIGH, N.C. – Representatives of the North Carolina Press Association told a governor’s commission today that the state should work to preserve and improve the public’s right to see how its government does business. Rick Thames, editor of The Charlotte Observer and NCPA president-elect, and NCPA’s First Amendment Counsel John Bussian testified before a commission created by Gov. Mike Easley to study the public records laws that make governmental e-mails public record. Thames and Bussian spoke on behalf of the association’s 200-plus daily and weekly newspaper members. “Make no mistake. Every single e-mail involving state employees and elected officials is a public record. And because of that, all of these e-mails must be preserved,” Thames told the commission. “Any policy that allows the selective destruction of e-mails is in blatant violation of our state’s open records law. It also offends the principle of open government that our state cherishes. No individual can decide what is and isn’t of ‘lasting value.’ The people of North Carolina will decide the value of that public record.” Bussian said the NCPA would strongly oppose any panel recommendation for legislation, executive order or administrative policy changes to permit treating e-mail and electronic messages made or received by any government employees differently than all other records the government now is required by law to manage and preserve for the public. “State and local governments across the country, along with the business community, currently preserve and manage the disclosure of e-mail and other electronic messages without the use of a blanket policy that allows random or routine destruction of email,” he said. The NCPA believes North Carolina’s Public Records Act clearly gives the public the right to see the e-mails and electronic records made or received by state and local governments in connection with government business. NCPA also believes individual employees should not have the authority to arbitrarily destroy e-mails they feel have only short-term value to the business of government. NCPA is a non-profit association that has represented newspapers statewide since its founding in 1873. The NCPA’s missions include protecting First Amendment freedoms, working to keep public records and meetings open and keep the government process accessible and transparent to the public. For more information, see our web site at www.ncpress.com.
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