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Sounds like the end of Western Civilization as we know it.
Reporters with trespassing convictions (i.e. Hank Stephenson of the Arizona Capitol Times) will now be able to cover the news in the Arizona House of Representatives. No, make that reporters who have written articles pointing out that House Speaker David Gowan is a sleazy corrupt government tyrant and crook will be allowed to continue to cover the news in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Roberts: Gowan, unmasked, cries uncle on reporter ban Laurie Roberts, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:28 a.m. MST April 12, 2016 House Speaker David Gowan cried uncle this morning and rescinded his silly order preventing reporters from doing their jobs and holding our leaders accountable for their actions. Just days after blocking reporters from the House floor and other parts of the building until they acquiesced to extensive background checks, Gowan has now restored some access. This, even as he maintains his ridiculous position that longtime Capitol reporters needed to undergo extensive checks of their criminal, civil and driving behavior dating back 10 years. “The speaker stands by his security plan,” his spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham told the Arizona Capitol Times on Tuesday. Because guns don’t kill people, I suppose, but old parking tickets just might. And bad press, such as the stories about Gowan’s misuse of public funds – written by Arizona Capitol Times reporter Hank Stephenson – absolutely will kill …. Political careers, at least. Gowan is not restoring reporters' unimpeded access to lawmakers' offices. I talk a lot about transparency – or the lack thereof – at the state Capitol but I’ve got to give Gowan credit. This was about as transparent of a scheme as I’ve seen at the Legislature all year. Gowan’s policy called for reporters with certain criminal convictions – like say, misdemeanor trespassing – to be forever barred from the House floor, unable to catch lawmakers as they come and go. Stephenson just happens to have a 2014 misdemeanor trespassing conviction, stemming from a bar fight in Wickenburg. It was Gowan’s third attempt to get rid of Stephenson since his rather unflattering stories on Gowan and House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro were published earlier this year, according to the Cap Times. Gowan, it should be remembered, was forced to repay the state $12,000 as a result of Stephenson’s revelation that he was expecting us to pay for his campaign trips through the congressional district he hopes to represent. In the read world, that's called solid journalism. In Gowan’s world, it’s called a threat. One that he thus far has not be able to eradicate. |