Raleigh News & Observer Logo

Janet Hill Keefer: The public loses | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

Letters to the Editor

Janet Hill Keefer: The public loses

I appreciated your Nov. 13 editorials “No secrets at UNC” regarding the secrecy in which the UNC Board of Governors has been operating and “Burr’s locked report” about the actions by Sen. Richard Burr to seal and bury the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on our country’s use of torture.

Both illustrate the regrettable tendencies of public officials and public institutions to operate in secret. Both situations should raise another concern as well.

While open-meetings and open-records laws cover the BOG (what a terrific acronym that is!) and Burr, such laws do not cover private for-profit businesses.

As North Carolina rushes to privatize the operations of its prisons and other government services, the public will lose even the small rays of light required by state and federal sunshine laws.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

As voters, we should be afraid – very afraid – of the loss of public accountability, which will be a direct consequence of placing essential public services in private hands.

Janet Hill Keefer

Pittsboro

  Comments  

Videos

UNC’s Roy Williams after win over Florida State: ‘We had 10 turnovers, I thought we had 103’

Coach K tells Syracuse to “take care of my friend” Jim Boeheim

View More Video

Trending Stories

NC judge throws out voter ID and income tax constitutional amendments

February 22, 2019 05:38 PM

Dad was found dead with a dog leash on his neck. Now his son is charged with murder.

February 22, 2019 04:07 PM

Chapel Hill removes Confederate road marker, black history marker ahead of planned protests

February 22, 2019 11:40 AM

United Methodists pray and brace for decision on same-sex marriage and gay clergy

February 22, 2019 02:31 PM

Wake Forest dean apologizes after 37-year-old yearbook photo resurfaces

February 22, 2019 04:36 PM

Read Next

0224-Letters: Address absentee voter fraud
Video media Created with Sketch.

Letters to the Editor

0224-Letters: Address absentee voter fraud

By Staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 23, 2019 02:40 PM

Ballot fraud

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

0222/Letters: Tainted election will follow Harris

Opinion

0222/Letters: Tainted election will follow Harris

February 21, 2019 07:46 PM
2/20 Letters: Sen. Tillis, protect our coast.

Opinion

2/20 Letters: Sen. Tillis, protect our coast.

February 19, 2019 06:15 PM

Opinion

2/19 Letters: NC lawmakers step up for fair elections

February 19, 2019 12:00 AM
2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

Opinion

2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

February 17, 2019 12:00 AM
2/17 Letters: Protests will continue at Confederate events

Letters to the Editor

2/17 Letters: Protests will continue at Confederate events

February 16, 2019 12:00 AM
2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

Opinion

2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

February 14, 2019 07:16 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story