Blacklisting journalists is petty
Heath Haussamen
On Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Gov. Bill Richardson sent the governor’s public schedule for the week to the media — sans a few journalists who normally get such e-mails from that office.
I didn’t receive the public schedule. Neither did the entire staff of the New Mexico Independent, a site for which I write.
A journalist at another media outlet was kind enough to forward the schedule to me. When I read it, I discovered that the governor plans to be in Las Cruces later this week.
Funny thing is, the last time Richardson was traveling to Las Cruces, the entire staff of NMI was also conveniently left off the distribution list for his weekly schedule.
Upon further investigation, I discovered on Monday that I’ve not been receiving news releases from the governor’s office for at least a week. Meanwhile, my colleagues at NMI have received all of them except the public schedule sent Monday.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been blacklisted by the governor’s office. Since I and others began reporting on a federal grand jury investigation into allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration, it’s been a fairly constant issue.
No one from the governor’s office has responded to my requests for comment for any story for months — even those stories that are positive for Richardson.
They don’t have to comment for stories if they don’t want. I have no problem putting into every story that the governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. But refusing to send public information such as the governor’s schedule and other news releases takes things to a whole new level.
There is, of course, a degree of skepticism and, at times, criticism that’s required of any journalist covering politics and government. And communications staffers do and should spend a great deal of time working to sell messages that will advance the policy agendas of their bosses.
It’s possible for journalists and communications staffers to remain professional in spite of the fact that they’re sometimes at odds with each other. Blacklisting journalists, however, is not professional.
In fact, it’s simply petty.
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Heath, I know what you mean, sometimes my comments don't get posted on your site, even when they are just fact filled comments. Also, what will you write about when the Governor leaves office?
Don't feel bad. I wrote eleven letters to Governor Richardson in the past two years. I never received a reply!
Heath this is just another way the Governor creates what is written about him. He does not want anything that is bad placed in the media, because it woul not be in his best interest when he goes back to washington (If he goes back). Of course if he is convicted it won't make much difference will it.
I imagine that sometime somebody will try to come up with some sort of explanation as to why you and NMI were left out, but it will rightly ring hollow — how hard is it to keep an e-mail address on a distribution list?
Count me as surprised, what a stoopid way to run a media shop.
Heath, the reality is that soon Richardson will no longer be the governor of New Mexico. He will fly back to his real home in Washington, D.C. while you will still be Heath Haussamen and still living here in our little slice of heaven.
I'm glad he is leaving and you are staying.
How is it that this doesn't surprise me? Welcome to Bill's world…a place where its either his way or the highway.