The recent public records controversy enveloping Gov. Mike Easley’s office revealed that Easley’s press advisers warned colleagues throughout state government to ignore information requests from the John Locke Foundation, including Carolina Journal. But other media outlets vouched for CJ‘s credentials during a meeting with the governor, and he pledged to make his staff more cooperative in the future. The News & Observer‘s “Under The Dome” blog discussed the issue in an entry titled “John Locked Out No More?” The item also appeared in the the newspaper’s print edition, and editor John Drescher explained his support for CJ in an N&O column. “Under The Dome” covered the issue twice more. First, the column assigned Carolina Journal an “up” arrow in its daily assessment of political winners and losers. Then the blog featured the Locke Foundation as it highlighted comments from former Easley administration public information officer Debbie Crane.  Easley’s pledge to work more cooperatively with CJ and other media did not stop 10 news organizations from filing a public records suit against the governor. That suit drew media attention from the News & Observer, Raleigh Chronicle, and the national distribution of the Associated Press. JLF communications director Mitch Kokai discussed the suit Tuesday with Lockwood Phillips on WTKF’s “Viewpoints Radio” program.