MD Governor ban on speaking with certain reporters

Updated: 06:54 PM EST
Maryland Governor Takes Issue With Reporters

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Nov. 27) - Maryland's governor says his order that state officials stop speaking with two reporters for The (Baltimore) Sun was "meant to have a chilling effect" on two writers he believes "have no credibility."
...snip...

"At what point does a monopoly newspaper abuse its privilege, its First Amendment privilege, in making things up, making quotes up, making context up?" the first-term Republican governor said Friday. "I just said this is our minimum benchmark."
...snip...

Ehrlich responded, "That's my government. That's my government. I'm the chief executive."

Sun attorney Stephanie Abrutyn said the newspaper disagrees with Ehrlich's description of the two reporters' credibility and called his explanation of the ban "troubling."

"He's admitted that what he's doing is using the power of his office to censor what citizens are able to hear by manipulating who they can hear it from based on whether he's liked what they've said in the past," Abrutyn said. "It's inappropriate and it's a violation of the First Amendment.

"He's trying to squelch critical news coverage and what he apparently has done is anoint himself the arbiter of what citizens can see or learn about their government," she said.
...snip...

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20041127164309990006

Gee, I didn't know the First Amendment was a "privilege"?
"It's my government". He's a little Hitler, isn't he?

The temperature rises slowly and the frogs end up swimming in a pot of boiling water until they are fully cooked.

n/t

trickle down censorship!

If we can hang on a little,if enough reporters get shuned and eventually fired,we can start our own newspaper.

that's true.

Ehrlich sees the First Amendment as a privilege.

We need to give this asshole the boot !

Michael Bloomberg is mayor of my state and said the same thing about the first amendment when we were trying to get a permit to protest the Republican Convention. He said we have to understand that the first amendment is a privledge.
:grr:

When the Dems learn to take down easy targets like Ehrlich, Dems will always win elections. Ehrlich is so phoney most Republicans don't even like him. Why don't the Democrats attack?

You know you want to...

Nattering nabobs of negativity.

Embrace your inner Spirocity, let it floooowww...

Ehrlich was a Newt Gingrich acolyte as a freshman congressman during the Contract on America (tm).

He is an aberration and an abomination.

Keep your eye on Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.