North Carolina Press Association

Two Report for America reporters will bolster N&O’s local coverage in 2021

For a third straight year, the reporting staff of The News & Observer will be supplemented by reporters from Report for America, a nonprofit journalism organization that supports local news … more

7/29/21

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal to Launch May 28

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 20, 2021Contact: Jenna Shackleford, Communications & Outreach CoordinatorPhone: 910-240-9697Email: jennas@bizfayetteville.comFAYETTEVILLE, NC - The Greater … more

7/26/21

NC Press Association membership elects Sandra Hurley as next president

For immediate release: NC Press Association membership meeting July 22, 2021 Raleigh, NC During a special meeting attended by NC Press Association members on Thursday July 22, … more

Phil Lucey, NCPA | 7/22/21

Award of legal fees to media coalition could influence other county and city governments

A coalition of media organizations, including Carolina Public Press, scored a court victory last week when Buncombe County Superior Court Judge Steve Warren ruled the city of Asheville must … more

Kate Martin | 7/6/21

2020 Contest: Duke University/Green-Rossiter Award Winners

Sponsored by Duke University in cooperation with NCPA, the basis for the Duke University/Green-Rossiter Award is exceptional coverage of higher education through editorials, news or feature articles, … more

6/23/21

Carolina Public Press receives $50,000 grant from Inasmuch Foundation

Asheville, N.C., June 17, 2021—Carolina Public Press (CPP), North Carolina’s nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan newsroom today announced it has received a $50,000 grant from the Inasmuch … more

6/21/21

North Carolina is an outlier among states in keeping so much information about government employees shrouded in secrecy.

This secrecy is at odds with North Carolina's otherwise broad commitment to principles of government transparency that promote our informed democracy. In other areas of public records law, … more

6/11/21

Campaign Finance Data Training: Sign up Now!

In partnership with the Open Raleigh Brigade of Code for America and the NC Local News Workshop, the North Carolina Open Government Coalition will host a free training event to help journalists and … more

6/8/21

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

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

Les High, legacy publisher in North Carolina, establishes center for local investigative journalism

Les High, publisher of The News Reporter, a family newspaper in Whiteville, North Carolina, has founded The Border Belt Center, a burgeoning nonprofit journalism organization that will begin … more

Teri Saylor | 5/12/21

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 closed … more

5/6/21

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

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

The public should know why NC public employees are promoted, disciplined and fired

When it comes to offering the public access to government documents, North Carolina ranks among the most restrictive states. Its sunshine laws are better described as mostly cloudy with a chance of … more

N&O Editorial Board | 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