North Carolina's personnel law shields all but the most basic information for public workers, making it difficult to learn about employees who misbehave or who are hired through political connections.

Some examples in which the personnel law was invoked to deny information about employee misconduct, political patronage or favoritism:

Theft and misuse of state funds and property runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. In some cases, the thieves and misspenders are state employees. But unless they are charged with a crime, there's little chance of finding out who they are.

In interviews conducted for the N.C. Open Government Coalition, candidates for statewide office recently answered questions about freedom of information. (PDF)

Many government officials in North Carolina don't appear to know much about the state's open meetings and public records laws.

State Briefs:Journalist and UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member Ferrel Guillory was announced Wednesday as the first member of a committee set up by Gov. Mike Easley to decide whether his administration should change its practices for handling e-mail.

Under the Dome:How open will the next governor be with the news media?

In interviews conducted for the N.C. Open Government Coalition, candidates for statewide office recently answered questions about freedom of information. (PDF)

In interviews conducted for the N.C. Open Government Coalition, candidates for statewide office recently answered questions about freedom of information. (PDF)

Gov. Mike Easley on Tuesday initiated a review to determine if his administration needs to change the way it handles e-mail messages.

Sunshine Week:In interviews conducted for the N.C. Open Government Coalition, candidates for statewide office recently answered questions about freedom of information.

The city will hold a public hearing on two contentious issues -- impact fees and teardowns -- on Tuesday.