For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Indianapolis,
IN
Friday, August 23, 2024
CONTACT Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins, SPJ National President, ashanti.blaize@gmail.com
Nadia Gordon, SPJ Communications Coordinator, ngordon@hq.spj.org
INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s decision to deny KFOR-TV journalists access to a news conference with State Superintendent Ryan Walters in Oklahoma City.
“This is actually the third time it’s happened in less than a month,” said one of the journalists, Dylan Brown, who was denied access to the August 22 news conference along with KFOR photographer Kevin Josefy. “My news director has worked in the Oklahoma City market for 33 years, and she says she’s never experienced anything like this.”
When asked by SPJ for comment on his denial of access to the KFOR journalists, Isett said in email, “Our office works with hundreds of journalists across the state and around the country to keep the public informed about the success Oklahoma students are seeing under Superintendent Walters. We will not work with tabloids who consistently editorialize and report false information rather than inform the public.”
SPJ National President Ashanti-Blaize Hopkins noted that, “It is not in Dan Isett’s power to choose whether a news outlet is ‘legitimate’ or not. This is a blatant violation of press freedom by a government agency. By denying these journalists access to the news conference, he illegally prevented them from carrying out their duty to inform the public.”
The SPJ Code of Ethics states that journalists “have a special obligation to serve as watchdogs over public affairs and government,” and that they should “seek to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open, and that public records are open to all.”
SPJ champions journalists by recognizing outstanding achievement, fighting to protect press freedom, promoting high ethical standards and educating new generations of emerging professionals. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member and give to the Legal Defense Fund, First Amendment Forever Fund or SPJ Foundation.
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