Gov. Mike Easley, it seems, is learning the hard way the importance of full public disclosure.

The News & Observer, along with nine other North Carolina news organizations, sued Easley on Monday over his administration's deletion of e-mail, which they say violates the state's Public Records Law.

The coalition of news organizations seems to have a strong case.

Easley does not contend that his office lacks adequate electronic storage to save all public record e-mails; he no longer contends that he allows his administration to delete e-mails; and he does not deny that he deletes e-mails occasionally himself.

He did not deny any of the allegations during a meeting with the media last week.

He simply said, "If it needed to be saved, I would have saved it – if it had any kind of value to it at all."

Under the state's Public Records Law, however, that type of policy is strictly prohibited.

It may seem excessive to save every e-mail sent or received by a public official, but engaging in a subjective practice of keeping only what seems to be of value effectively shrouds the governor's office in uncertainty.

The uncertainty grows when it's taken into consideration that Easley's staff was asked at least once in the last year to delete e-mails each day because of an increase in media requests.

The governor is elected by the people of North Carolina. His inter-office notes are their notes. His documents are their documents. And his e-mails are their e-mails.

Regardless of how invaluable he deems them.