Sunshine Week coverage

Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of open government taking place this year from March 11 to March 18, is a great opportunity to share what we know so you can access public information like a pro.

When North Carolina school board members retreat behind closed doors to discuss sensitive public business, the amount of information they share with the public afterwards varies greatly. While some release detailed notes of their closed-door discussions, others conceal large portions of their meetings, refuse to say how board members voted or release nothing at all.

A collaborative investigation by 10 newsrooms across the state found that governing boards that meet in closed session are often slow to hand over legally required records that detail what they discuss in secret, if they provide them at all. When they are produced, they're often heavily redacted, raising questions about how closely those boards are following the law.

In an effort to test how public boards on the local, county and state level across North Carolina keep and release minutes from closed meetings, 10 news organizations across the state submitted requests to 46 different governing boards.

As basic foundations of a functioning democracy, public records and open meetings give citizens the power to peer into the inner workings of government and more effectively hold elected leaders accountable.

President Trump's campaign to discredit the news media has spread to state and local officials, who are echoing his use of the term "fake news" as a weapon against unflattering stories and information that can tarnish their images.

Social media offers a dark space for political campaigns where journalists can't observe

President Trump's attacks on the media and the actions of his administration have emboldened journalists to pursue watchdog and accountability reporting. At the same time, perceived biases among media outlets have eroded the public's trust.

Text messages sent about government business are public records, but state agencies do not necessarily have policies and procedures in place to provide access to the public.

Some local officials said they were initially surprised by requests for their text messages, which are public records under state law.

Attorney General Josh Stein talks to reporters about the responsibilities of public agencies under North Carolina's public records act and the challenges modern means of communications like texting and social media pose to governments in complying with the law.

Texts, Tweets and other communications are public records, which governments must archive and make available to the public. WRAL is live for this Sunshine Day discussion.

What does it mean for a government to provide a "timely" response to public records? Journalists and public agencies discuss at Sunshine Day.

Although it forms the backbone of much of the investigative reporting you see from news organizations across North Carolina, the state's open records law isn't explicitly intended for journalists - it's really for the public.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has a new online tool called "Let's Talk!," which allows community members to submit public records requests and other feedback.

Three news organizations - WRAL News, The News and Observer and the Associated Press - submitted requests to every appointed executive agency secretary and elected member of the Council of State for one month of private emails conducting public business in 2015.

Until recently, members of the UNC Board of Governors conducted their business over private email accounts. Officials say this has slowed disclosures about a tumultuous period surrounding Margaret Spellings' hiring as UNC president.

From the courtroom the state legislature, 2015 was marked by a series of developments that continue to define the boundaries of the state's open government laws.

Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock told a gathering of reporters and open government advocates Monday that he supports the publication of all law enforcement video gathered from dashboard and body cameras.

Government functions best when it operates in the open, and open-government advocates across the country will celebrate this central tenet during Sunshine Week, March 13-19.

In honor of Sunshine Week, WRAL News asked Jonathan Jones, director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition,to share his list of the top open government stories from the past year and the top stories he's watching this year.

From San Diego, Calif., to Istanbul, Turkey, North Carolina leaders in 2014 spent thousands of dollars in public money for trips across the state, country and world on government business.

More than a month after WRAL News asked 18 of North Carolina's top government leaders for their travel records, two agencies have yet to provide a single document showing where the governor and lieutenant governor went in 2014.

Explore the documents below to learn more about how leaders from more than a dozen state agencies traveled in 2014.

In an effort to test response rates to public records requests by governments entities across the North Carolina, WRAL News submitted identical requests to 18 state agencies, including the governor and lieutenant governor.

When Miranda Dotson wanted to learn more about her late grandfather, she turned to the U.S. National Archives for help. What she found led to a sweet surprise for her family, especially her father.

Citizens who want to attend a Wake County School Board meeting must first pass a background check. Experts say that requirement appears to violate the state's open meetings statute.

The North Carolina Open Government Coalition hosted its annual Sunshine Day event Monday in Durham to bring awareness to public records and open meetings laws in the state.

In North Carolina, there's a basic ideal that guides the daily transactions of government and the thousands of memos, reports, emails and other documents it generates: if it's created with taxpayer money, it belongs to the public.

Scrutiny over Hillary Clinton's email practices is drawing attention to other government officials.