For decades many federal agencies have been prohibiting reporters from talking to anyone without first requesting access through a public information officer (PIO). And over those years, these “PIO chokepoints” have gotten tighter and tighter, including oversight on conversations and demands for questions ahead of any interview. Reporters today are often not allowed to speak to anyone, even after acquiescing to censorship and controls.
First Amendment attorney and head of the Brechner Center, Frank LoMonte, wrote in a 2019 article: “Although the practice of gagging public employees from giving unapproved interviews is pervasive across all levels of government, decades’ worth of First Amendment caselaw demonstrates that blanket restrictions on speaking to the media are legally unenforceable.”
In July, twenty-five journalism organizations, including the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) , called on the Biden administration to end these prohibitions and allow reporters to interview government sources without oversight.
In this 104th episode of “E&P Reports,” publisher Mike Blinder speaks with SPJ immediate past president and opinion editor at the San Diego News and Tribune, Matt Hall along with Chair of the SEJ and an editor at the Chesapeake Bay Journal, Tim Wheeler about how their two organizations (along with others) are working towards helping the industry
100 What You Need to Know About Launching a News Website
99 Meet the New CEO at The Center for Public Integrity
98 They're Hiring 250+ Journalists for 50+ New News Outlets
97 New Book Follows 50+ Years of Community Journalism
96 The Time is Now to Support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act
95 The GNI Ad Transformation Lab: Helping Black and Latino News Publishers Grow Digital Revenue.
94 Steve Mattingly Speaks on the Future of Print
93 Hearst CT Media: +1000% Growth in Digital Subscribers & Now Going Statewide
92 Selling on the Backside of COVID
91 Reporting in Galveston as Juneteenth Achieves Global Prominence
90 ‘Unpublishing’ Our News Content
89 Serving Lattes & Brews Funds The Sentinel Newsroom!
88 E&P checks in with Ken Doctor, CEO and founder of Lookout Local, a startup that offers a new local news model.
87 Covering George Floyd’s Death Transforms a Newsroom
86 Swap Your Ads for Shares in Start-Ups
85 At 89, Raymond Joseph is Still Publishing and Fighting for the Haitian People
84 Johnson Brings Back a City's Newspaper
83 Digital Disruptor Colorado Sun Takes Over Denver Weeklies
82 New Study Details Covid-19's Impact on Print Circulation & Digital Subscribers
81 Lansing City Pulse is All In on Cannabis
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