There is no 'alternative transparency'

Though a few months away, the next session of the Wyoming Legislature will likely showcase the recent powershift towards the Wyoming Freedom Caucus if the general election goes the way of the primary election.

Meanwhile, next month, the Management Council may be considering a policy which would limit access to the People’s House. Last month, the Select Committee on Legislative Facilities, Technology and process voted to effectively ban photojournalist and broadcast journalists from entering the halls which run next to the House and Senate floors. The change, according to Legislative Office Director Matt Obrecht, came at the request of the current presiding officers: Senate President Ogden Driskill and Speaker of the House Albert Sommers.

The vote by the select committee was bipartisan as was the opposition to the suggested policy change. Senate Cale Case (R - Lander) and Representative Mike Yin (D - Jackson) voted against the proposal while Senator Dan Laursen (R - Powell), Senator Chris Rothfuss (D - Laramie) and representatives Dalton Banks and Dan Zwonitzer (R- Cheyenne) voted in favor of press restrictions.

Members of the committee pointed towards the Wyoming Legislature’s livestream as their justification for the removal of press access, citing it as a form of alternative transparency.

We at the Saratoga Sun don’t often report on the Wyoming Legislature, our focus being on our local government and community. As part of the Wyoming News Exchange, we receive and publish reporting from other newspapers in the state. This is only possible due to the access those state house journalists have within the People’s House to report on how legislators are doing the business of the people.

The argument that live­streaming any meeting is an alternative form of transparency is disingenuous. This decision by the select committee also sets a dangerous precedent, leading to less transparency within the Wyoming Legislature and signaling to local governments they can follow suit. In Carbon County, only two municipalities livestream their meetings: the Town of Saratoga and the City of Rawlins. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners also holds an audio livestream of their meetings.

While we believe the current council for Saratoga and Rawlins and the current county commissioners would maintain press access to their proceedings, future members may follow the “alternative transparency” argument made by the Wyoming Legislature and limit press and public participation in meetings.

There is no doubt technology has improved access to state, county and local government proceedings. It’s no substitute for Wyoming’s Fourth Estate, journalists who sit through hours of meetings to research and report on issues which matter to their readers.

The Management Council will be voting on the proposed policy change on November 7, just two days after the general election.

If you think press access to the People’s House—to your house and your business—is vital, contact either Driskill or Sommers.

Senator Ogden Driskill

Phone: 307-680-5555

Email: [email protected]

Representative Albert Sommers

Phone: 307-360-7060

Email: [email protected]