ACLU of Nebraska joins criticism of governor’s media access rules

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – ACLU of Nebraska is pushing for a community news organization’s access to governor’s press briefings and the repeal of a restrictive accreditation process widely criticized by newsrooms and the media of State.

“The ACLU of Nebraska is calling on Governor Pete Ricketts to immediately reconsider two recent media access decisions so that no reporters are unfairly barred from covering his press conferences,” the organization said in a Tuesday press release. .

The ACLU letter notes the decision by Ricketts’ office to bar staff members of North Omaha Information Support Everyone, known as NOISE, from participating in the governor’s press briefings. The annotated letter cites professional and community affiliations and distinctions among NOISE staff as well as its ongoing coverage of Omaha officials and events – including press conferences.

The letter also challenges the new media accreditation process put in place by the governor’s office, which it says “could allow your staff to arbitrarily block bona fide journalists and media outlets, such as NOISE, d ‘attending press briefings’ under the guise of unspecified security. or operational concerns.

“This policy should be reworked or abandoned entirely in favor of an approach that better preserves open government,” the letter signed by Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska.

On April 15, spokesman for Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts issued a statement advising state media that the governor’s office was instituting a media credential application process.

“The governor’s office has a long history of working with the media to ensure that the people of Nebraska receive factual information about state government activities,” Taylor Gage, the governor’s director of strategic communications, said in the statement. . “Outlets wishing to cover events hosted by the Governor’s Office for Accredited Media are encouraged to submit an application.”

The application also includes a “code of conduct for current events,” stating that the governor’s office “reserves the right to revoke any accreditation issued to the applicant and the applicant’s outlet if they fail to comply with these requirements. “.

It also asks applicants to describe how the media entity they represent is funded.

The next day, Media of Nebraska submitted a formal objection letter to Gage outlining various ways the “policy is troubling,” particularly because it implies the governor’s office has “the authority to grant access to some media but not to others”, but only cites “operational limitations” and “security reasons” as causation, without providing details on which aspects are otherwise compromised.

The letter, signed by the executive directors of the Nebraska Broadcasters and Nebraska Press associations as well as the editors of the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star, also noted that the request provides no guidance as to what might constitute a approval of the application nor did it detail how a rejection could be appealed. The letter ends with an invitation to work with the governor’s office toward “a reasonable approach” to achieving the stated goals.

Conversations with Gage have taken place since that letter, according to NBA updates received by members, including WOWT 6 News, in recent weeks.

Ricketts was supposed to have a press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, but it was quietly taken off the governor’s schedule for the day about 30 minutes prior.

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