Democratic Rep. Pete Stark bars TV news crew from public town hall
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
California Democratic Rep. Pete Stark – who has raised ire and sparked viral videos with his verbal outbursts at public events — on Saturday barred a KTVU Channel 2 news crew from entering his public town hall at Hayward City Hall, telling them that he would not allow media coverage, sources say.
“No news media is allowed in here,” the Congressman, 80, now seeking re-election to his 20th term, told the KTVU cameraman for the Oakland-based news crew at the afternoon event. The station’s weekend reporter, hearing the challenge from Stark, protested — reminding the Congressman he was on public business.
His response, according to witnesses: ”I don’t care. This is my meeting — and you can’t come in here.” Sources said the Congressman uttered an expletive and walked away.
... “Before my Hayward town hall meeting on Saturday, I told a Channel 2 reporter that her camera was not allowed into the meeting, but that she could sit in and take notes. I also said I was happy to do an on-camera interview after the meeting. I offered this as an alternative because not all constituents want to be filmed when talking to their Member of Congress.”
Read more: http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/02/13/first-amendment-anyone-democratic-rep-pete-stark-bars-tv-news-crew-from-public-town-hall/?tsp=1
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