Governor Reynolds has a transparency problem. Between cutting back her weekly press conferences and video showing her staff not allowing reporters into a public event, Reynolds is facing growing backlash from the media on her lack of access.
But don’t take our word for it, excerpts from the Telegraph Herald, Des Moines Register, and the Sioux City Journal about Governor Reynolds’ problem with the press and transparency can be found below.
TELEGRAPH HERALD: Our opinion: Transparency takes a hit under Gov. Reynolds
“Unfortunately, Reynolds last month stopped hosting the weekly press briefings, citing her busy schedule. Really? Somehow, she is finding time for events related to her gubernatorial campaign.”
“Another move toward greater transparency under Branstad has taken a step backward under Reynolds. In 2017, the Legislature agreed with Branstad that citizens had a right to know the reason when a public employee was terminated or resigned to avoid termination. Yet twice in recent months, that hasn’t happened.
The Legislature put that rule in place — at the urging of Branstad — to shed light on issues of public concern. We’ve had no trouble securing documentation about departures of lower-level local officials, why not for high-level state positions?”
“Another sign that Reynolds is clouding the transparency picture: This month she held a roundtable discussion with southeast Iowa farmers. It was an official event, listed on her public schedule, but she barred journalists from being present to report what was said.
How are citizens to assess an official’s positions and performance if official events are conducted in secret? How can they know if words are consistent with deeds?”
DES MOINES REGISTER: Roses & thistles: Does Reynolds believe media are an ‘enemy of the people’?
“Apparently this governor did not want the public to hear what Iowa farmers had to say about how President Donald Trump’s trade policies have affected them, which was the purpose of the meeting. Trump’s tariffs could prove disastrous to Iowa’s agriculture-based economy. The president knows this. So do some congressional Republicans. Reynolds knows it, too.
Yet she made the choice to keep under wraps the voices of Iowans on this issue — as well as what she is saying to them, which is just as important.”
“Especially troubling was her failure to respond on Monday to a perhaps unexpected question about whether she agrees with Trump’s characterization of the news media as an ‘enemy of the people.’
Does she not know what she thinks about this president’s repeated demonizing of the fourth estate? Does she need time to mull over an answer or consult with aides? She should know without hesitation that the press is critical to ensuring an open and transparent democracy, a concept campaigning politicians should embrace.”
SIOUX CITY JOURNAL: ERIN MURPHY: Let’s make press conferences great again
“What a week for media conferences.
Iowa’s governor isn’t having as many, and CNN’s White House reporter walked out on one in protest.”
“Reynolds has continued Branstad’s practice of holding a weekly media conference with Iowa Capitol reporters, a group that includes this reporter. There is nothing in the state Constitution that requires the governor to host weekly gatherings with statehouse media, but it is a vital resource for reporters to be able to quiz the state’s chief executive.”
“Is it a huge deal? Look, I’m a journalist. It’s going to be difficult for me to ever say less access to a political leader, especially a governor, is a good thing.”