GOP curtails freedom of the press

Most citizens don’t know that Republican leaders in Iowa, Utah, Kansas and Florida are limiting journalists’ access to open-to-the-public legislature and gubernatorial sessions. This begs the question “what issues and policies are GOP elected officials trying to hide?”

Furthermore, what is there about the First Amendment to the Constitution — specifically freedom of the press — Republicans don’t understand? Maybe GOP’ers are demonstrating their anti-democracy intentions, giving favor to control the media as witnessed in countries such as Russia, China, North Korea and Venezuela.

According to information published by Freedom of the Press Foundation, 72 media access denial incidents occurred in the last four years. Republicans denying or limiting journalists’ access to government events appears to be retaliatory or done without meaningful justification.

In Florida, the GOP governor blocked multiple journalists from covering the signing of a controversial election bill. Journalists in Iowa, Utah and Kansas were kicked out — by Republican leaders — of their historic press benches on the Senate floor and moved into a gallery. The press bench permitted reporters to observe debate, have immediate access to legislators and report the facts.

Steve Morris, who led the Kansas GOP from 2005 to 2013, wrote in a Kansas Reflector editorial, “Placing restrictions on journalists in the Senate chambers suggests there is something to hide or that leadership is taking unwarranted and unnecessary retaliation against reporters.”

Richard Gilbert, press secretary for Iowa Gov. Robert Ray, wrote an op-ed for Julie Gammack’s Potluck blog. Reflecting on Republicans restricting access to the media, he said “ … it is enough to set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about clean and open government at all levels.”

Gilbert continues “as (Gov.) Ray’s press secretary … my job was not to control access to what went on in state government. It was to make the information accessible.” Gilbert lays it on the line for voters who are witnessing freedom of the press restrictions: “which brings me to the obvious question — what’s the objective of stonewalling or making it more difficult for the reporters covering deliberations of the Iowa (and other states) senate? What don’t these elected officials want the people … to know or see?”

Gilbert’s candor is refreshing: “if legislators want to extract petulant payback on the press corps because the coverage of their august body is often embarrassing, then perhaps they should quit doing and or saying so many stupid things.”

Media access restrictions blatantly counter the free press, a cornerstone of democracy, and voters should demand an explanation. If GOP’s anti-First Amendment actions are permitted to continue, who knows what’s next. Maybe we’ll see the banning of books, disinformation about critical race theory, anti-LGBTQ legislation, using public taxpayer funds to support private education and invoking voter suppression.

Oh, wait! We’re already witnessing those measures in GOP-controlled states. The next authoritarian action by Republicans should be of no surprise.

Steve Corbin is emeritus professor of marketing at the University of Northern Iowa and freelance writer.