Big Island Press Club president John Burnett’s letter on reporter’s ousting from military public meeting in Hilo
Published in West Hawaii Today May 21, 2019
Press club objects to reporter’s ousting
The Big Island Press Club strongly objects to the exclusion of West Hawaii Today reporter Nancy Cook Lauer from a May 16 meeting, opened to the general public, outlining Army plans to manage historic resources at Pohakuloa Training Center and Kawaihae Military Reservation.
Cook Lauer was reportedly told, “This is not a media event” and participating parties might not feel comfortable expressing their opinions in the presence of the media.
As justification for banning Cook Lauer, Julie Taomia, cultural resource manager for U.S. Army Garrison Pohakuloa, cited a federal law which states, in part, “The agency official must, except where appropriate to protect confidentiality concerns of affected parties, provide the public with information about an undertaking and its effect on historic properties and seek public comment and input.”
The law doesn’t address the issue of excluding media from a meeting opened to the public.
PTA Public Affairs Officer Michael Donnelly described the meeting, at the county’s Aupuni Center conference room in Hilo, as “a ‘consultation meeting’ with and for consulting parties and signatories to the training programmatic agreement only” and “not a general public meeting … .”
The meeting was opened to the public, however reluctantly on the Army’s part, and classified information wasn’t discussed. Comfort or discomfort with the presence of news media by participating parties is immaterial. Donnelly, in particular, should’ve known better.
The public has a right to know about decisions affecting cultural and archaeological resources on public land. The news media are the eyes and ears of the public and it is both troubling, and a public disservice, that a reporter was excluded from the meeting.
John Burnett
