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
78 An Inside Look at Shaw Media
77 How Publishing Good News in Central Arizona is Growing Audience and Revenue
76 Gordon Borrell is (Finally) Bullish on Newspapers
75 Studying the Impact of a Pandemic on Global Journalism
74 Two Old Newspaper Sales Guys Talk Shop
73 Amplify Ohio: Addressing Health Disparities Impacting Black & LGBTQ Communities
72 The Internet Archive: Providing Universal Access to All Knowledge
71 New Jersey Weeklies Go Non-Profit
70 HD Media Taking on Tech Giants' Google & Facebook
69 Checking-In on the Locally Owned Silver City (N.M.) Daily Press
68 Trib Total Media, Proudly Printing 7-Days a Week
67 Local Community Newspaper is Printing Again!
66 Maximizing Media Ad Sales in the New Year
65 Local Media is Winning the COVID Battle for Eyeballs and Credibility
64 Local Newspapers Owned by Local Investors. Meet the Coastside News Group
63 Schneps Media is Rocking New York With Hyperlocal Free Weeklies
62 Managing Via Metrics = Profits for News Media Corporation
61 Vision25: Building Racial Equity in Newsrooms
59 Free Report shows Huge Content Marketing Opportunity
60 The LGBTQ+ Reader is Big Business for Aequalitas Media
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