Conservative news service sues Evers for denying access to its reporters

Posted at 2:15 p.m. on August 7, 2019

The Brillion News

MADISON – The MacIver Institute is suing Governor Tony Evers in federal District Court for excluding its journalists from press briefings and refusing to provide them with press material that is shared with other news outlets.

The suit said that since Evers took office in January, his administration has refused to include MacIver News Service reporters on invitations to press events, which makes it harder for the news outlet’s reporters to stay up-to-speed on the governor’s activities.

The Evers administration also blocked MacIver journalists from participating in a budget press briefing that was open to other journalists.

The suit claims that the Evers administration’s actions violate the journalists’ constitutional right to free speech, freedom of the press and equal access. MacIver said that no press outlet has a constitutional right to an exclusive interview or off-the-record tidbit, government officials may not target certain journalists that they disfavor for discriminatory treatment. MacIver said the First Amendment prohibits government from discriminating against certain news outlets based on their editorial viewpoint. 

A complete story will appear in the August 15 print edition of The Brillion News.