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April 23, 2006
Banned-Aid - Patching up the Michael Weber story
[Author's note: this was written before the 4/23/2006 editorial by CTFP Executive Editor Tom Griscom was published.]
There’s little doubt that Chattanooga Times Free Press editor Tom Griscom feels caught in the middle after one of his investigative reporters was banned from contacting Chattanooga officials. If I were the banned reporter, or any reporter at the paper for that matter, I’d be wishing that my boss would seek a firmer footing on my side of the divide. Sound ethics prevents any of these reporters from commenting on the record, so we can only surmise partial or vague semblances of newsroom reality, but sources have already intimated that there is much dismay over the cautious stance taken by Griscom.
Whatever happens to one specific reporter, the TFP will go on being Chattanooga’s daily print news source. A well-cultivated relationship between local media and local government is a necessary component to an informed citizenry. Realizing this lends perspective to one’s initial gut reaction upon hearing this story. You can see, I am sure, that an executive editor must take seriously any allegations that his staffers are deemed “threatening” to their contacts. That’s the big picture, but it’s still murky. Without many details, it’s hard for one to visualize just what is meant by “threatening.” Having to deal with “pestering” is no fun, but it’s definitely not the same thing. The simple fact is, the latter comes with the territory, like heat with a kitchen. I trust our city officials know what to do in the event they can’t stand the heat.
While we’re searching for the clearest picture, let’s focus on the mayor’s side of things. What’s the atmosphere at City Hall now that the one trouble-making reporter has been given the boot? Are “key staff” breathing sighs of relief? Here’s the thing: they had better think twice before exhaling. What will most certainly happen now – that is, if this little column has anything to do with it – is that dozens of additional professional journalists, citizen journalists, and curious townsfolk will barrage the offices with questions: about the ban, about the stories that were being investigated, and about the relationship between the people’s right to know and the government’s duty to tell them. If Michael Weber is not allowed to ask about lobbyists and contracts, then it is upon the rest of us to make sure the line of questioning continues.
The closest Tom Griscom has come so far to defending necessarily aggressive journalism is calling the ban “draconian.” I couldn’t agree more with that assessment. One just has to wonder what different steps would have been taken by Mayor Littlefield if the reporter in question hadn’t been a transplant from points north. Why has there been a persistence on the part of the mayor to mention Brooklyn while referring to the situation? I hope he wasn’t suggesting that the Scenic City somehow rates below another swell burg by the “My guess is that it really didn’t work for Mr. Weber in Brooklyn and that is why he is here in Chattanooga” remark. What is this, a penal colony for journalists? I’d say Chattanooga, Tennessee stands neck and jaw beside any of the other fine cities out there, but no one’s paying me to say that. (Ahem, but we are paying you to say that, Your Honor.) There’s no need to rekindle ancient geographic rivalries over this. “He’s a northerner who thinks we’re all stupid,” the mayor said. That’s a rather reckless remark to make when industrial parks sit nearly vacant. Let’s try not to broadcast our defensive hostility too far beyond the Mason-Dixon line, lest we scare off what few potential employers there may be looking to relocate.
Furthermore, why was it necessary to issue a press release announcing a ban, and not just have a conversation with the editor? These are some of the questions that also need asking, but let’s make sure that the primary effort goes toward 1) following up on the stories Mr. Weber has been writing, and 2) making sure those currently in charge of the City of Chattanooga know that they will be held accountable to their public in terms of information. Are you with me? They can’t ban all of us.
Pulsations | By joe lance | 09:10 PM