This whole thing just didn’t sit right with us: who was to be reporting, who could take pictures/record the event, limited time to get one’s message out, and a tight-fisted policy of who “owns” the asked questions (and assuming, the unasked ones as well). Transparency much? Certainly, it didn’t seem so when we were tipped off.
So I decided to reach out, not to the local League of Women Voters but to the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript – the media outlet that, according to the LWV notice, would be the only ones able to record and take pictures. After all, First Amendment’s Free Press and Free Speech clauses and why would the MLT participate in such an event that “canceled” that out? Here’s the email thread – and it is clear that by the end, they were not doing a Happy Dance as I got kinda pointed about it (emphasis below):
On Thu, May 2, 2019 at 1:23 PM Skip <Skip@granitegrok.com> wrote:
Good afternoon,
A question for you:
As one of the largest five political media online sites here in NH, it has come to our attention that you are partnering with the LWV / Peterborough in this event – good for you on reporting local news.
That said, it has also come to our attention that the Ledger-Transcript will be the only media outlet allowed to cover the event. As a beneficiary of the protection of Free Press / Free Speech outlined in the First Amendment, why are you denying other media outlets access to the event? Thus, I am asking, under the auspices of the same provision of the First Amendment that that GraniteGrok be allowed to also report on this event in person.
What say you? If your answer is that it is the LWV/Peterborough’s event and they have set the rules, why would you be participating with a group that is discriminating against the press in general?
I await your answer.
Kindest regards,
– Skip
owner and co-founder,
GraniteGrok.com
So even though I thought that emailing the newsroom would get my email kicked up to the Editors, I guess I was mistaken:
From: “Monadnock Ledger Transcript Newsroom” <news@ledgertranscript.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 5/2/2019 1:42:50 PM
Subject: Re: News coverage of the LWV Candidates night in PeterboroughHi Skip, you have reached the editors in the newsroom, who told you you couldn’t?
Er, no, and said exactly that:
On Fri, May 3, 2019 at 11:29 AM Skip <Skip@granitegrok.com> wrote:
No, I haven’t.
This was stated in the League of Women Voters email that went out that stated that no recording or video taping would be allowed and that the only Press that is allowed is your paper.
– Skip
GraniteGrok.com
Which they then wanted to see….
From: “Monadnock Ledger Transcript Newsroom” <news@ledgertranscript.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 5/3/2019 12:03:48 PM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: News coverage of the LWV Candidates night in PeterboroughCan you forward me that email? The one we are aware of did not say anything about the Ledger-Transcript being the only ones allowed to cover the event.
So I did:
From: “Skip” <Skip@GraniteGrok.com>
To: “Monadnock Ledger Transcript Newsroom” <news@ledgertranscript.com>
Sent: 5/3/2019 12:22:37 PM
Subject: Re[4]: News coverage of the LWV Candidates night in Peterborough
Certainly! Please see below (in red) and attached. I have also now reached out to Kate Coon herself.
From: kate coon <kate2coon@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 1:33:12 PM
To: <redacted>
Cc: <redacted>
Subject: Candidate Forum: next Monday, May 6
Dear Candidate,
With less than a week to go before our “Meet the Candidates” Candidate Forum in co-sponsorship with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, we would like to let you know how the evening’s event will be structured.
Date: May 6, 2019
Time: 7-9 pm. CANDIDATES PLEASE ARRIVE: 6:40 pm.
Place: Bass Hall at The Monadnock Center for History and Culture, 19 Grove Street
The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization dedicated to informing the voting public. One of our voter service activities is hosting candidate forums in order to allow the public to meet the candidates and hear their views on a variety of topics. The PeterboroughPlus unit hosted last year’s Peterborough Candidate Forum (also moderated by Liz Tentarelli, President of LWVNH) as well as Candidate Forums for House of Representatives and State Senate races. We have a proven track record for fair, informative, non-partisan Candidate Forums.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT EVENT PROTOCOL
• There will be a table for Candidate Literature in the front entryway to Bass Hall. You may not place candidate literature anywhere other than this table. No candidate signs allowed.
• No filming or videotaping allowed. The Ledger-Transcript will cover the event and they are permitted to take photographs.
• There will be a copy of the Sample Ballot on each seat, and we will have name tags for you.
• Liz Tentarelli as moderator will welcome everybody and explain the rules.
• Those of your running for Budget Committee, Recreation Committee and Zoning Board (10 candidates) will be seated in the front row. Liz will invite you to stand and introduce yourselves in no more than TWO SENTENCES. We have used this format before and it works! Then you will sit. At the end of the Forum, there will be a period for questions, and you might get some questions at that point, so please do not leave.
• At the front of the room, facing out, there will be three tables, with name tags in place, for the candidates for Planning Board (4 candidates) and Select Board (2 candidates). There will be nameplates on the tables, but Liz, as moderator, will draw your names at random to determine the seating and speaking order. Planning Board will go first (time allotted: 20-25 minutes), followed by Select Board (time allotted: 20-25 minutes).
—Opening Statements: 1 minute max. We suggest you briefly describe your qualifications for the Board, and your ideas and plans for the coming term, if elected. We want the bulk of the time in your segment to be devoted to Q & A.
–A question and answer period will follow for EACH board, separately (Planning Board first, Select Board second). Liz Tentarelli as moderator will use questions that have been submitted to the newspaper, and questions written by audience members at the Candidate Forum. Please note that written questions will stay in LWV possession after the event. You will be limited to TWO minutes per answer, so please plan accordingly. The League has timers who will alert you when you have 30 seconds left (yellow paddle) and when your time is up (red paddle).
When both the Planning Board and the Select Board have had their turns, Liz will open the Forum to questions that could be for any of the candidates for office. The same rules apply: Written questions only, no impromptu oral questions from the floor. TWO minute time limit per answer. That said, Liz is our skilled and experienced moderator, and she may choose to add what we call a “Lightning Round” question that can be something fun and unifying, like, “What is your favorite place in Peterborough to go for a snack?” or a local issue that wasn’t highlighted in the Forum: “How do you like the new parking lot and pedestrian bridge to Depot Square?” (One sentence why…)
We will have refreshments after the Q&A so that people can speak directly to any of our candidates running for office.
Please don’t hesitate to each out to me if you have questions about the Candidate Forum next Monday. And… good luck!
Respectfully,
Kate Coon, Chair: LWVNH, PeterboroughPlus
– Skip
GraniteGrok.com
Again, I have both watched and participated in Candidate nights. Yes, one has to have a protocol surround an event but this struck me as being rather sharp and harsh as to what is allowed and, more importantly, what isn’t to be allowed.
And then it seemed like “embattled” started to set in as the tone became quite harsh. Might it have been that those that have normally been those to “hold accountable” hate to be held accountable themselves? Certainly I have seen over the last decade plus that the answer to that question is “Indeed!”:
From: “Monadnock Ledger Transcript Newsroom” <news@ledgertranscript.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 5/3/2019 12:33:54 PM
Subject: Re: Re[4]: News coverage of the LWV Candidates night in PeterboroughThat does not say that other news sources are not permitted to cover the event. I believe the LWV does not allow videotaping because it discourages some candidates from attending the forums, which comprises the goal of having all the relevant candidates in attendance to answer questions. There is nothing in this email that says you can’t come to the event and cover it or that we have exclusive access. It just says that we are going to be there taking pictures and covering the event.In my experience, it is a common journalistic practice to reach out to the people you are writing about – in this case, the League of Women Voters and the Ledger-Transcript – before you publish an incorrect, inflammatory article based on your misinterpretation of an email.
Thanks
Funny, we had several Groksters in on this from the get-go: and we pretty much had come away with the same impression. It might be an “interesting” meeting tomorrow night. However, we weren’t the only ones being given a hard time over this either.
But why has Ben Conant of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript (@BenConantMLT) now locked his Twitter account?
More in a bit.