by Connie Ledoux Book, Ph.D.
Elon University School of Communications
In the last several weeks we’ve learned in sworn testimony from staffers working for former Gov. Mike Easley that he maintained a secret e-mail account, had staff delete e-mails and ordered the firing of those who complied with the state’s public records laws.
The testimony was part of an on-going investigation and is painting an unpleasant story for the people of our state about the abuse of power that can happen in government. Unfortunately, we fund that abuse every time we buy groceries, gasoline and take home our weekly paychecks. We funded the abuse and the irony is we now have to fund the judicial process to expose it.
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There’s another part of the story of Easley’s e-mail problems that are on my mind this week–Sunshine Week. This is the week that people around the United States raise awareness of open government laws, which we will celebrate in North Carolina on Tuesday in Greensboro at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
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When Easley told the press he didn’t think his e-mails were public records, the press knew they were. The intent of the law is clear, no matter in which form government business is transacted. It is a public record and should be accessible to the citizens who paid for it. That right is a cornerstone of our democracy.
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Knowing the governor was wrong, but without the ability to force him to comply, the press sought out the judicial system to correct the wrongdoing. That’s an expensive proposition for the news media these days. To fund it, they joined together to cover the attorney’s fees. The press acted on behalf of the people of North Carolina and as part of their important democratic role–as watch dog. In this economy of declining advertising revenue and layoffs, you can imagine the newspapers and television stations decision to press forward with litigation was not an easy one.
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The economies of the news media have been disrupted by the digital world and as a result so has our democracy. The watchdogs’ bite is weakening as fewer reporters are present to ask important questions and fewer dollars exist to challenge the system when it fails. In this digital world where Google reigns supreme and attracts more than $22 billion in annual ad revenue that once belonged to traditional news media, an unpleasant reality for open government is looming.
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In the United States we’ve relied on distributors of content, like newspapers, to invest in compelling content and the ad dollar that content attracted to create a good quality of life for journalists. We’re in trouble because Google and other online search engines aren’t investing in journalism. These ad dollars are no longer working on behalf of our democracy. It’s a dilemma and it raises our eyebrows at the Sunshine Center where we worry about open government in this state and our ability to ensure the press operates in a watchdog function for the people.