NORTH OGDEN – After much debate over several council meetings, the city council has revised their media policy. The original policy stated that council members should email all conversations with the media to each other. This included statements on official city stance and personal opinion.
In the revised edition another section was added to the policy that separates personal opinion and official statements. However the policy continues to encourage elected officials to email media conversations to their fellow officials.
The changes to the policy also clarify council members’ ability to communicate with media through phone and in person, rather than through media only.
The lengthy discussions on the policy came at the request of Councilman Brent Taylor and some of the city’s residents who expressed concern that the policy inhibits freedom of speech.
“It seems overly restrictive in a free society.” Dale Swenson said in a council meeting back in September.
Although the policy has been softened, Taylor is not completely satisfied. He feels that sharing conversations had with the media with fellow council members will affect what is said. He doesn’t see that as free speech.
As published in the Standard Examiner, Taylor expresses the concern, “You would never hear of a congressman or the state legislature having to send out an email to every other member of congress about everything they say to the media. This is what we are doing here. No one else is doing that,”
Residents are not wholly satisfied with the changes to the policy either.
Resident Brian Russell said, “The purpose of the press is to be a watchdog for the government. I get the feeling you think you don’t need to be watched.”
He stated that he wished the council would scrap the media policy entirely. Whether that will happen in the future remains to be seen.
