In this column, I will focus on several factors affecting this complex issue. Although some states permit a search committee to go into closed session when individual candidates are being discussed, other states require all meetings to be open to the public, including the press.
Some state laws make even a president's private correspondence public.
But often the expectations about what committees can and can't do are unclear. In some cases, open-meeting laws are being tested in the courts, making it difficult for a candidate or a search committee to understand the ground rules. Even within the same state, searches may be handled differently from institution to institution. That is because the stance of the local press is so variable. If the press has a generally good relationship with the institution and doesn't want to investigate the search process, reporters may stay away even though the law would give them broad access.