Obviously he was trying to strong arm you. Thank you for not letting him. You fought for all our rights when you pushed back, and I appreciate it greatly.
And I do hope the Stranger sues... this sort of violation is all too common under a repressive, Republican regime... not to mention it will bring the story to the light of millions across our state.
As a fellow journalist (on the other side of the country), I urge you and The Stranger to continue legal action in this matter to get a permanent injunction against McKenna and his staff. This stupid and blatantly unconstitutional activity cannot be allowed and always must be met with the strongest possible resistance. Even if he tries to back down at this point and apologize, etc., there must be consequences for public officials who try to pull this bullshit.
Our constitutional rights ("our" encompassing all citizens, not just journalists) are constantly in danger of being whittled down, and we must react swiftly and strongly to any attack. This requires a metaphorical punching in the face, not a metaphorical smack in the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
I am 100% on your side in the matter of press/public access to all governmental functions. But I would have more respect for you as a reporter if you followed the standard style guidelines. For example:
"he illegally attempted to have me physically blocked from entering a press conference"
should read
"he illegally attempted to have this reporter physically blocked from entering a press conference"
Totally illegal and a gross misuse of taxpayer funds since we pay all their salaries. At the very least there should be some sort of ethics investigation into he and his staff's behavior.
The Stranger should consider filing for declaratory judgment that it is a member of the news media and that its reporters cannot be barred from media availabilities. Otherwise McKenna's just going to continue the harassment and obstructionism.
Proving once again that the real threat to America comes not from foreign anti-American sentiment, but from domestic anti-American sentiment. And no group hates America more than the republican party.
You're not a journalist.
Seems to me that until you actually file suit, nothing is going to happen here and all your writing can't do anything about being turned away.
The thing about assholes is, until you tell them to stop being assholes, they aren't going to change their way.
Frankly, your sort of scewed reality is the reason why Republican hacks are threatening the vitality of this country.
Our constitutional rights ("our" encompassing all citizens, not just journalists) are constantly in danger of being whittled down, and we must react swiftly and strongly to any attack. This requires a metaphorical punching in the face, not a metaphorical smack in the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
I am 100% on your side in the matter of press/public access to all governmental functions. But I would have more respect for you as a reporter if you followed the standard style guidelines. For example:
"he illegally attempted to have me physically blocked from entering a press conference"
should read
"he illegally attempted to have this reporter physically blocked from entering a press conference"
Please make a note of it.