There’s no good reason for removing journalists from floors of legislatures

Editor’s note: The Sun is republishing the following column, which originally was published Jan. 13 by the Kansas Reflector, an accompanying piece to our editorial on the subject of restrictions on media access to legislatures in several states. (see Page 2).

During my eight years as president of the Kansas Senate, I had frequent dealings with journalists who covered the Statehouse.

It wasn’t always easy. Journalists ask tough questions, and they often make their sources uncomfortable. But I knew I had an obligation to accommodate their questions and requests for information because I very much respected the role of journalists in our democracy.

Kansas Senate leadership now is restricting press access. Instead of allowing journalists on the Senate floor during the legislative session, they have been relegated to the gallery, where it would be much more difficult to closely observe the interactions, pick up on nuances and get a good feel for the direction of the debate.

During my 20 years as a Kansas senator, reporters always were given a place on the Senate floor during the session. At no time did I witness any sort of issue, as Statehouse reporters were courteous, respectful and accurate.

The news media have had a place on the Senate floor for decades. There is no compelling reason to change the time-honored policy of allowing their close access to debates and other public workings of the Senate.

Senate leadership’s decision to move Kansas Statehouse reporters farther away from the action sends the wrong message and won’t help the people of Kansas better understand the discussions and votes. While we know the public can observe and listen to more of the legislative proceedings on the Kansas Legislature’s website, journalists on the floor have the ability to provide more in-depth and relevant coverage of the proceedings that simply cannot be reflected online.

This is all the more critical today.

In the midst of a public health care emergency that has created far-reaching and pressing challenges for our state, no one should make the media’s work more difficult. Instead, legislative leaders should do more to help the people of Kansas understand what our legislators in Topeka are doing to address fallout from the pandemic and other pressing issues of the day.

Beyond COVID-19, there are many other critical matters at hand ranging from tax policy to voting policy.

These and other issues the Legislature tackles directly affect people’s lives. The interests of constituents — the people of Kansas — matter most and should always be top of mind for anyone serving as an elected representative.

Mike Pirner, the spokesman for Senate leadership, claimed the decision was based in part on an increase in the number of news outlets and reporters who cover the Legislature. But anyone who has followed the challenges of the news media over the last couple of decades, and the declining number of reporters, can see the gaps in that logic. He also pointed to online access, but as just mentioned, that’s no substitute for actually being there.

Placing restrictions on journalists in the Senate chamber suggests there is something to hide, or that leadership is taking unwarranted and unnecessary retaliation against reporters.

Contrary to the former U.S. president’s continued insistence that the press is an “enemy of the people,” the news media provide a critical conduit to our citizens, who depend on transparent, timely and accurate information.

The Capitol in Topeka is the people’s house. The press promotes an informed citizenry, which makes it a pillar of our democracy.

Instead of limiting access, leadership in the Kansas Senate should embrace the importance of journalist access — and allow them to do their job from their usual, longstanding vantage point on the Senate floor.