There’s a been a bit of a big broohaha brewing in the media capital of Northwest Ohio this week. In case you’ve missed it, here’s a brief recap:
On Tuesday, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and his spokesperson/assistant Brian Schwartz blocked WSPD Reporter and talk show host Kevin Milliken from attending an news conference. From reports, Scwartz put himself in the doorway to the news conference, right in front of Milliken.
On Wednesday, Milliken, WSPD morning show host Fred LeFebvre, afternoon host and program director Brian Wilson and others pushed their way into a news conference after the door was nearly shut. Shortly after the news conference was to start, Schwartz called it off, and allowed the media assembled to talk with the mayor one-on-one.
To the mayor’s credit (somewhat) he does like some WSPD reporters, and granted an interview to Nik Rajkovic.
What is the mayor’s reason for not allowing Milliken into the news conference?
Because the mayor doesn’t think Milliken is “objective.”
This feud between the Toledo mayor and WSPD started last summer. Though Wilson offered the mayor an olive branch, anyone can easily see the article was insincere.
Is this a precedent? Has any other elected official shut out a credentialed member of the media? This definitely has some serious First Amendment issues going on — and that are in violation. Former Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber has a great post on that issue.
Ultimately, those issues and the penalties are for lawyers and a judge — if WSPD takes it that far — to decide.
I’m assuming that Schwartz is of the same mind as the mayor. If not, then he is selling his soul for a paycheck. Mayor Finkbeiner has a history of being strong willed (putting it nicely). If Schwartz is counseling the mayor not to take these actions, and the mayor is refusing his counsel, I would think Schwartz is having trouble sleeping at night. I know I would.
As the spokesperson and PR counselor for the mayor, what would you do? Is there any precedent or justification to bar a credentialed member of the media from a news conference?
The obvious right thing — and this is why I think this story is so troubling — is not to take on the media.
Even in Toledo, there are enough other media outlets to get your word out. If nothing else, the mayor should start a blog!
And, what about the potential impact for other members of the Toledo media? Would the mayor bar other reporters from news conferences? There hasn’t been any inkling of that, but precedent has been set.
The fact that an elected official doesn’t like the way a reporter, columnist or show host does his job doesn’t really matter. There are steps the official can take — from being totally open and willing to explain his/her position to that person to giving the reporter no more than the bare minimum media access allowed.
Just like bloggers need to have a thick skin — after all, we are more about opinion than news — governmental officials need to have a thick skin, and remember that they are serving the public. Not themselves nor their career.
Mike
