Letter: Treatment of media in council chambers is anti-democratic

By Letter to the Editor on June 6, 2024.

Dear editor,

As a former daily and weekly newspaper reporter/photographer I am dismayed by how it appears the local news media reporters are being treated in Medicine Hat city council chambers.

Since the new city hall opened, the news media had a semi-circular table with electronic plug-ins where they had a good view of council’s horseshoe. Recently, that media-designated table was closed off, signs saying off limits, the chairs removed and security telling reporters they couldn’t use it anymore.

The reason I heard was councillors felt the media was “lording over them” from above from the higher dais of the media table. Many city councils over decades have had no problem with that, but this council and perhaps the city administrators at council meetings do.

I heard one local news media reporter was expelled by security from a council meeting because she refused to be bullied away from the banned media table since they had to plug in her laptop there. I also heard the media table was now going to be used by presenters to council instead of those presenters speaking from the council floor due to possible security concerns.

To me, the banning of the local media from city council’s media table seems anti-democratic and an attempt to stifle, particularly Community TV.

Raymond S. Marco

Dunmore

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