TWICC: The First Amendment
The past week has been a real bummer for anyone interested in the First Amendment in Nebraska.
Governor Pete Ricketts’ office released an application for journalists and news outlets to become “credentialed” by the governor’s office in order to attend press conferences. The application includes criteria for applicants to be “a bona fide journalist of repute” and “free of real or perceived conflicts of interest.”
It’s hard to begin to explain why this is such a bad idea. First, even if I agreed to a government entity getting to decide who journalists are, this criteria is completely open to subjective disqualifications. This gives the governor’s office carte blanche to only credential outlets that give Gov. Ricketts favorable coverage.
Government agents should not get to decide who is and is not a journalist.
This is especially egregious given the office’s refusal to credential Emily Chen-Newton of NOISE, which stands for “North Omaha Information Support Everyone.” NOISE is a nonprofit news website founded three years ago, specifically to cover Omaha’s minority communities. Chen-Newton tried to become accredited by the governor’s office, but was ignored. She was then shut out of a March 31 news conference she attempted to attend in person.
The governor’s strategic communication director, Taylor Gage, has previously called NOISE an “advocacy organization funded by liberal donors.” NOISE does not accept donations from anonymous donors or those that might create a conflict of interest. It discloses donors who give over $5,000 a year, including the Sherwood Foundation, the Omaha Community Foundation, and the American Journalism Project.
NOISE specifically focuses on North Omaha, a predominantly Black region of Omaha. North Omaha and communities of color have largely been ignored by traditional media outlets. NOISE is an amazing resource to share stories about the North Omaha community from the people who live there.
Luckily, Nebraska’s largest newspapers, the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star published a joint editorial criticizing the decision. It is unclear whether NOISE or traditional newspaper outlets will attempt to become credentialed through this process.
Additionally, a bill to give free speech protections to student journalists failed Wednesday. In Nebraska, school administrators are able to censor student news they consider controversial or unflattering.
Having been a student journalist in Nebraska, I know all too well the realities of prior review and restraint. Administrators would rather hamper the efforts of student journalists than potentially face an angry parent. How are student journalists supposed to speak truth to power when those in power won’t allow them to do their job?
The First Amendment is at the core of our American ideals. Journalism is called “The Fourth Estate” because it functions as a check and balance on our systems of power. Hindering journalists, especially those who are typically ignored by the government (i.e. people of color, young people) only serves to make our communities less informed, less interested, and more complacent.
Which is, of course, exactly why they’re doing it.