Senate Republicans concerned about media gallery use
This release was passed out to members of the Capitol press corps Wednesday afternoon. Video cameras aren’t allowed in the Senate gallery, but there is a media press box equipped for video. Signs on the door of the press box say “Reserved for Members of the Press Only.”
We’re still trying to track down who exactly was in the video press box yesterday afternoon. Normally OETA’s camera crew is the only television crew in the press box unless The Flaming Lips are in the Senate gallery. The release, however, brings up an important question. What defines a journalist? Does an interested citizen tracking their elected officials and documentating that fall into category? – Julie Bisbee, Capitol Bureau
Oklahoma State Senate
Senator Clark Jolley, R-Edmond
May 6, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SENATE LEADER DECRIES MISUSE OF MEDIA GALLERY BY PAID, PARTISAN POLITICAL HIT-MAN
OKLAHOMA CITY –After witnessing an independent videographer in the Senate TV gallery tracking the movements of Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee yesterday, Assistant Senate Majority Floor Leader Clark Jolley expressed disappointment that the character assassination plot against the Pro Tempore apparently isn’t over.
The videographer was staking out the Pro Tem, capturing footage of the Senate Leader’s empty desk as he was working away from the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“Anyone who holds even the most minimal knowledge of the operations of the Legislature understands that the President Pro Tem, the Speaker of the House, and others in key leadership positions have multiple meetings every day, even during session,” Jolley added. “This has been standard practice from Day One, for both Democrat and Republican leaders in both Houses. They simply have too many responsibilities to be tethered to their desk on the floor all day every day.
“The Pro Tem is involved in critical negotiations on major initiatives, as well as meeting with a multitude of people with interest before the state, and that has been the case with every Pro Tem in state history,” he continued.
“I fully expect the shadowy group paying this political hit man is planning on using video of an empty desk in a new round of television commercials, certain to be as dishonest and inflammatory as the first rounds were,” he said.
“They can’t win at the ballot box or in the legislative process, so they’veresorted to an expensive campaign of character assassination and the politics of personal destruction. It’s time for someone to call them into account and put an end to their deception,” Jolley continued.
“If the opposition’s calls for transparency are sincere, they should disclose who is paying this individual to shoot misleading video for their partisan purposes,” Jolley asked. “At least we now know what the next political hit will be against Pro Tem Coffee.
“If these partisan political hacks choose to use this disingenuous video to continue their crusade against Senator Coffee, their tactics will have stooped below the disgusting level they have already achieved,” Jolley concluded.
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