State Capitol. (photo RI)
Republican Senate leaders have decided to deny media access to the floor of the Iowa Senate Chamber where reporters have had a workspace for more than a century.
Last year, as a precautionary measure in the event of a pandemic, access to the House and Senate floors was limited to elected members of the legislature and a certain number of staff.
For the 2022 session, which begins Monday, House GOP leaders are allowing reporters and photographers covering the legislature to return to areas called “press benches” on House floors. The Republican Senate leadership is not.
A spokesperson for Senate Republicans said the media “play an important role in the functioning of our republic,” but said the “proliferation of non-traditional media” and First Amendment concerns make it difficult for the Senate. to define “access to the media”.
Executives from the Iowa Broadcast News Association released a statement, calling on the Senate to reconsider their decision. The Iowa Capitol Press Association, in a statement this morning, said having “real-time, in-person access” to lawmakers helps reporters serve as “the eyes and ears of the public” and provide important information on legislative activities.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Iowa Senate will be one of the few legislative chambers in the country to deny access to the media. Iowa Freedom of Information Council executive director Randy Evans said all Iowa residents should be troubled by the decision to move reporters from the press headquarters to the front of the Senate to an upstairs gallery. The board, which lists the Iowa Broadcasters Association and the Iowa Newspaper Association as members, encourages Senate leaders to reconsider their decision.
