Local and state newspapers challenge lawmakers on government transparency

Government transparency bill driving conversation across that state

By John Trump

Lawmakers in the N.C. General Assembly will again take up what, on its face, seems a commonsense bill that would open the disciplinary records of government employees. The Government Transparency Act — House Bill 64 and companion measure Senate Bill 355 last session — crept through the legislature in 2021 before petering out in committee.

Sens. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, and Norm Sanderson, R-Craven, who sponsored S.B. 355, have signed on to the new measure, which lawmakers will file in the current session, John Bussian, one of the most prominent media and First Amendment lawyers in the country, told The Wake Weekly.

This comes just in time for National Newspaper Week, Oct. 2-8, marking the 82nd year in recognition of the service of newspapers and their employees throughout the U.S. and Canada, the N.C. Press Association says.

The Newspaper Association Managers sponsors the celebration of print and digital newspapers, which are a vital part of our democracy. The Fourth Estate, or the idea of a strong and free press, is the proverbial gatekeeper guarding against public corruption and malfeasance, and its role as watchdog is needed more today than ever.

“There is no legitimate public policy reason not to allow North Carolinians the right to see records of disciplinary actions taken against the people they employ in state and local government,” Bussian said.

“The vast majority of states enjoy access like this, and the best of these states allow complete access to these files.”