Legal
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Reporting on child fatalities is difficult. It presents a collision between the need for a thorough and orderly investigation against intense public concern and, sometimes, outrage. Medical records … more
By John BussianThe General Assembly adjourned following its on-day special session on January 14.  The attempt to override the Governor’s veto of the Teacher Pay Act and the Regulatory … more
During the legislative session, public notices are at the top of our watch list. This time of year also generates a lot of questions on what exactly is public notice, where and when they must publish … more
The N.C. Court of Appeals handed down some very good news for journalists this month. The case arose after the arrest of Wesley Walker for an assault. WTVD’s Ed Crump emailed the Wake County … more
I want to begin with my gratitude for the vital and hard work that you all have been doing to report on the coronavirus crisis.  Personally, I check five or six news websites about every hour to … more
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
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Some of the most common questions we get when we do workshops and on the Hotline relate to the dangers of publishing information on the internet and social media and … more
Back on March 10, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in North Carolina “to coordinate response and protective actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” and with … more
As the toll of the coronavirus rises daily, we are getting calls about what to do if you cannot put out your print newspaper.  That might happen either because your advertising drops to the … more
MASSIVE FORGIVABLE LOANS – AKA GRANTS – TO GET YOU THROUGH THE PASS The CARES Act authorized $349 billion in loans, including a Paycheck Protection Program, which can be used to fund … more
  Continuing on the theme of government transparency and how you get the information you need to cover the developing COVID-19 crisis, I have outlined here some principles to … more
The climate surrounding officer-involved fatalities is, in a word, dynamic. Whether a shooting or shootout, deadly force incident to an arrest or the service of a warrant, or a high-speed chase … more
     The Washington Post reports Capitol Hill is paralyzed over a failure to agree on a temporary remote Congressional hearing and voting bill.  Yet as Congress grapples … more
We often get questions on the hotline about obtaining security footage of newsworthy incidents that occur in or around K-12 schools or on school buses. Because these incidents almost inevitably … more
Reporters covering government in the last two months know public bodies have changed their way of doing business. Members of the press were granted essential worker status, but that didn’t mean … more
Once again, journalists find themselves at the intersection of indispensability and danger.  You are uniquely poised to be the eyes and ears of the public, to stand in their shoes, to report … more
  If you are covering a public body that has resumed meeting in person but is forcing you to participate remotely, they are breaking the law.   Over the past year, the pandemic … more
“History teaches that opaque decision-making destroys trust; recent historyinvolving police body cameras emphasizes this risk.”We end 2022 with these strong words from our own North … more
NPCA General Counsel Amanda Martin provides a handy "cheat sheet" for political advertising. more
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