Officials in Alaska have released 24,199 pages of Sarah Palin's e-mails sent to her and from her during her first 21 months as governor of Alaska - from 2006 until she accepted the vice-presidential nomination.
Reporters from a number of news organisations descended on the state capital, Juneau, on Friday to examine the documents, which were released only in hard copy form.
Newspapers are scanning the pages of material electronically to post on the internet so that readers can help examine them.
The BBC reports that her critics think the e-mails might damage her chances of becoming the Republican party's presidential candidate next year.
However, the verdict to date from reporters who have seen some of the e-mails was that they largely represent the routine stuff of government although they also reveal her frustration over rumours about her family and marriage.
Alaskan officials said they'd released the e-mails because they had had a flood of requests for them under Freedom of Information laws since Mrs Palin was picked as John McCain's Republican vice-presidential running mate in September 2008.
