Stories | North Carolina Press Association

USPS announces postage rate increase

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — May 28, 2021 Contact: Tonda Rush, tonda@nna.org NEWS OF STARKLY HIGHER POSTAGE RATES GREETS AMERICAN PUBLIC AT START OF HOLIDAY WEEKEND The United … more

6/2/21

NC senators: Personnel records on educators, police and others shouldn’t be secret

It’s no secret that disciplinary records of taxpayer-funded employees are kept behind lock and key. That shroud of secrecy prevents the public from finding out why a teacher moves from school … more

NORMAN SANDERSON, BILL RABON AND JOYCE KRAWIEC | 5/27/21

Paxton Media Group buying Landmark Community Newspapers

Paxton Media Group is buying Landmark Community Newspapers, including all 47 newspapers in the Shelbyville, Kentucky-based chain. The sale, announced Wednesday, will give Paducah-based Paxton … more

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | 5/27/21

Longtime Observer photographer, ‘one of the great action sports shooters,’ dead at 52

Foster — a cigar-chomping, UNC Tar Heel-loving bear of a man who was an award-winning staff photographer and videographer for the Observer for the better part of three decades — was found … more

5/27/21

Our Opinion: Transparency foes don't represent NC stakeholders

A Wilson Times editorial Who says North Carolina’s state employees and schoolteachers are against transparency? Lobbying efforts from the State Employees Association of North Carolina … more

The Wilson Times | 5/25/21

Why are Democrats AWOL on public’s right to know?

With no meaningful state law giving North Carolinians the right to see disciplinary records of those they employ in state and local government jobs, how will we ever know? How will we know … more

PAUL MAUNEY and BILL MOSS | 5/20/21

The NCPA rebuttal to NCAE's campaign of misinformation

The NC Press Association 1) corrects the misinformation in NCAE's letter about the public records laws in other states (where virtually complete public access to the entire government personnel file … more

5/10/21

Transparency of operations is a Constitutional issue

Senate Bill 355, legislation that promotes and enhances public access to the performance records of public employees, is generating significant resistance from various state organizations that have … more

Carteret County News Times Editorial | 5/7/21

CNHI acquires The Transylvania Times in North Carolina

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- CNHI, LLC has acquired The Transylvania Times of Brevard, North Carolina, from The Transylvania Times, Inc., a family-owned company for the past 80 years. The sale … more

5/6/21

Give your advertising some personality

Kirk likes to work directly with his ad clients on their creative strategies. “Making a sale is just the first step in the journey,” he said. “It’s a big part of my job to … more

John Foust Raleigh, NC | 5/5/21

Beacon publisher Angie Sutton bids adieu

Spring is my favorite time of year. It’s a reminder of how beautiful change can be. This spring, change for me meant much more than blooming flowers and warm sunshine. It was the start of a new … more

Angie Sutton | 4/30/21

Elizabeth City curfew update for journalists

Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker declared a State of Emergency that was amended on April 27 to impose a city-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. This statement is to clarify that the curfew is not … more

4/29/21

Edwards signs on to bill improving public records access

North Carolina taxpayers will have access to the reasons why government employees are hired, fired, promoted, demoted or suspended if a bill proposed in the state Legislature and cosponsored by state … more

Amy B. McCraw, | 4/6/21

Our View: NC lawmakers should pass Transparency Act, break ‘culture of secrecy’, build trust

The following are all true North Carolina stories — but we never learned the whole story, or else learned it well after the fact: — A popular schools superintendent in Moore County … more

The Fayetteville Observer | 4/6/21

Attack of the morale-killing bosses

In my advertising and training career, I’ve observed – and heard about – a lot of boss-employee encounters. Some have been good, some have been bad. All have been … more

John Foust Raleigh, NC | 4/5/21

NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS AND NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION VOICE THEIR SUPPORT FOR SENATE BILL 355, THE “GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2021,” AND URGE ITS PASSAGE

The North Carolina Association of Broadcasters (NCAB) 1 and the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA)2 strongly support the Government Transparency Act of 2021 – Senate Bill 355 – … more

4/1/21

Legislation aims to open government personnel records to public

The days of having government employees fade into oblivion without any mention of the misdeeds that led to their dismissal may soon be over in North Carolina if the newly proposed Government … more

AMELIA HARPER | 4/1/21

Editorial: SB 355 would curtail likelihood of rogue public sector employees

Senate Bill 355 — the Government Transparency Act of 2021 — would at last allow the public to see the disciplinary files of public employees, files that have long been held in secret in … more

THE NEWS REPORTER | 3/31/21

Putting rivalry aside, NC newsrooms teamed up to keep the powerful accountable

Accountability journalism is sometimes bigger than competition. That’s been a central tenet of the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network, a coalition of dozens of reporters and editors at … more

NC WATCHDOG REPORTING NETWORK | 3/31/21

Judge rules Asheville council cannot block public from retreat

A team-building exercise among Asheville City Council members is an “official meeting” and not an “informal gathering” under the law, according to a Buncombe County … more

Kate Martin Carolina Public Press | 3/31/21