In rapid reversal, House clerk grants me press credentials

My five-year effort to gain a seat on the Iowa House press bench ended less than five days after the Institute for Free Speech filed a federal lawsuit on my behalf.

House Chief Clerk Meghan Nelson informed me shortly after 5:00 pm on January 23 that the Iowa House approved my application for work space, and a spot has been reserved for me in the press box on the floor of the House chamber.

I still don’t know on what grounds Nelson previously denied my applications. As our complaint detailed, I made sure I fully complied with the House credentialing policy issued in late 2021, and the one issued shortly after I applied for the first time in 2019. (Prior to 2019, the Iowa House had no written policy outlining the criteria for allowing journalists to work in the press box.)

Although my reporting was often unsympathetic to the work of Iowa’s Republican trifecta, until five years ago I never thought House leaders would deny I am a journalist who extensively covers legislative happenings. I knew some GOP lawmakers and legislative staff regularly read my work; even though they usually disagreed with my conclusions, they respected my commitment to research, accuracy, and transparency.

I thought the policy might change after three dozen Iowa editors, news directors, and publishers signed a March 2019 letter criticizing the decision to deny me credentials. I thought it might change after experts in First Amendment law (commissioned by the Institute for Free Speech) explained the “serious constitutional deficiencies” to House leaders in an April 2019 legal memo.

more...https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2024/01/24/in-rapid-reversal-house-clerk-grants-me-press-credentials/