City of Claremont Denies Equal News Access to ClaremontCA.com
8/10/2000

Informed that there was to be a news conference Wednesday, ClaremontCA.com called the city manager's office for time and place information. Assistant City Manager Bridget Healy, a bureaucrat paid $105,000 per year to represent the city, told ClaremontCA.com that the meeting was "only for the invited press."  When cautioned that such an arrangement was improper, Ms. Healy responded, "Whatever". When asked to include ClaremontCA.com in the meeting she refused to assist. "There's nothing more I can do for you".  When asked if ClaremontCA.com would be allowed into the meeting Ms. Healy laughed and said "You'll just have to go and find out for yourself". When pressed to extend the invitation to ClaremontCA.com Ms. Healy hung-up the phone in mid-sentence. 

Can’t we all just get along, Bridget? 

Is a private meeting with handpicked news organizations the way to discuss the public’s business? The question raises ethical and legal issues.  On legal grounds, The California Newspaper Publishers Association’s “Handbook of Media Law” refers to the case of Anderson v. Cryovac  Inc. “The court held that the government may not give particular organizations exclusive rights of access to information, i.e. by preventing others for obtaining the same information." The book goes on to say, Bridget, that “once a government agency decides to release certain information (including holding press conferences) or an official has chosen to speak to members of the press, it may be unconstitutional to exclude selected news organizations or individual journalists from receiving the information in question.”

In the “Handbook” it’s called the “General Rule of Equal Access” and the laws appear to say that government agencies cannot pick and choose the news agencies that will be allowed to cover them.  It would also appear to prohibit government agencies from treating a news agency preferentially.

The Bulletin, Times and Courier were invited to attend this meeting. Sources told ClaremontCA.com that the meeting was held to correct published reports regarding City Attorney Carvalho’s role (or non-role) in the City’s secretive hiring of a controversial law firm to oppose the “Oaks” campaign finance reform referendum.