Media is Still Banished From the Media Table in Medicine Hat Council Chambers

By Kelly Allard

First of all, it is NOT City Council that has done this. According to City Clerk Larry Randle, this action was precipitated by City Manager Ann Mitchell.

Background

For the past 2 years I have sat at the media table in Council Chambers along with fellow journalists from the other two media outlets in Medicine Hat. The media table is in the centre and gives the media a good view of the horseshoe allowing us to see all of the faces. The media table is equipped with audio/video hookups and multiple power outlets for all three media outlets in Medicine Hat. The media table provides us access to the spectators and a good vantage point to take photos, limiting the number of times we have to get up and move around.

Photo 1 Screenshot from March 21 2024 City of Medicine Hat YouTube video

Yes that is me and my hat in the first pic. There are often three people at the media table. You can see it’s a great vantage point to see faces and take pictures /video.

Photos 2-5 Credit Kelly Allard

After-meeting interviews with Council Members and/or City Staff were conducted on the floor in front of a photo backdrop with the City of Medicine Hat logo on the left hand side of council chambers.

April 22 2024 The media was relocated to the upper level, to 2 desks skewed to one side of council chambers. None of the media was consulted about this move as far as I know. Nobody has said that there is a potential hazard for anybody sitting at the media table so it’s apparently not a safety issue. The City’s only explanation is they’re going to adapt it for something else.

Photo credit Kelly Allard. You can see there are no audio/video connections at the new location and only one power outlet on the other side of the walkway. You can also see how we would only be able to see the backs of a number of heads including the mayor who has been moved off to the right hand side of the horseshoe.

Here’s Why The New Location is Unsuitable

It’s too far off to the side creating a lousy vantage point.

We’d be looking at the back of the heads of some of the people sitting at the horseshoe. The view of the big screen would be skewed.

I have old eyes, I need to be able to see faces and expressions. I always sit as close as possible.

Access to power is deficient.

Access to power is vital to our ability to do our jobs. Some of the council meetings go 4-½ hrs, longer if they vote to continue. 

Access to power is vital to our ability to report accurately; if our devices die we cannot take photos or record interviews.

Access to power is vital to our ability to get the news out to the public in a timely manner as we are often reporting live. 

There’s only one power outlet about 6 feet away from the closest seat in the new designated media area. There's two receptacles for 3 media companies. Our equipment uses a lot of power especially for those of us reporting live. 

Who gets to plug their equipment in? 

Do we draw straws or do we throw down in the Legislative Hallway?

Plugging into that outlet creates a safety hazard.

The cords would have to run across a public walkway which creates a tripping hazard. It is true that not many members of the public go over there, but security does on a regular basis.

Our equipment is expensive and can be damaged if someone trips over our power cords. To replace my computer would cost $1500, my phone would be another $1000.

Is the City going to reimburse us if our equipment is damaged? 

What if someone trips over the cords and falls on us?

Last but not least

I have the right to sit in the public seats if I want.

Nobody has the right to tell me where I can sit in a public place, especially if the “designated” area makes no provision for what I need to do to do my job.

Nobody puts Kelly in a corner.

(Yes, I’m quoting that movie)

Timeline of the Resistance

April 22 2024 City Council Meeting

I was away for this meeting. I was too ill to attend the May 6 meeting or I’d have made my objections known sooner to City Staff.

April 29 2024 Tom Called City Clerk Larry Randle About the Media Table

It was a strange conversation. 

Randle used the following phrase in regards to the media table.

“Historically …it’s just a spot.. where media have sat, lording down over council” 

Wait, what? I was not aware that we were “lording down over” anything.

In regard to who made the decisions, Randle said “I think it came from the senior administration.” Tom said Ann; Randle said yes.

Randle said part of the decision to move the media may have been because they (staff) feared for their own safety. He said that it was his understanding that the media will be permitted there again. He said nobody talked to him about the media seating.He said that it was his understanding that the media will be permitted there again. He said nobody talked to him about the media seating.

Tom raises the issue of telling people where they can sit might be a charter right issue.

Randle says “Whatever you figure Tom, let ‘er rip.”

Randle said he would convey Tom’s concerns to senior management. 

May 6 2024 City Council Meeting

Despite being told by City Clerk Larry Randle that it was his understanding that the media seating will be permitted there again, Tom arrived to find that there were no seats at the media table and there were signs on the table that said 

NO SEATING

(Randle was absent from the May 6 meeting. I was also absent due to illness.)

The legacy media was situated in the upper far corner with no seats available for Community TV /The Trash Panda. Tom went down to the media table in front of council.

Tom leaned over the table instead of standing (there were no chairs). Security guards approached Tom four times, one of them actually put his hand on Tom. This same security guard called the police who did not attend. He also did not have his ID on him in violation of Section 31(3) of the Security Services and Investigators Act.

Tom created a highlight video of that evening.

2:50 Chair Deputy Mayor Andy McGrogan was making strange demands, telling people they could not shake their heads as it was being disruptive. He said he would call for a recess if they did not stop, they did actually recess.

3:40 Female Security Guard tries to block Tom’s camera.

4:07 Same Security Guard refuses to show her badge, hiding it in her shirt in violation of Section 31(3) of the Security Services and Investigators Act.

12:25 While recording an important part of the meeting, you can hear Tom telling the security guard “don’t touch me” and “get away from me”.

14:00 Tom films security guard walking away

15:15 Sharps says whispering in the audience is distracting and asks them to stop (the chair is the only one who can do that.)

15:28 Sharps says she reached out to George Cuff a few times - “When I have questions I’m going to get some answers, he educated me”.

18:20 During the recess, a man with a cane is giving the Security Guards what for about their behaviour

19:05 Security Guard that touched Tom staying silent

19:25 Female Security Guard that did not want to show her ID earlier tells other Security Guard that he must show his ID. 2nd Security Guard did not have his ID on him which is in violation of Section 31(3) of the Security Services and Investigators Act.

He later says his name is “Julius”

19:55 “Julius” tells Tom the reason he called the police on Tom was for disturbing a public meeting. Tom did nothing other than his job of filming the meeting. The only disturbance was from security trying to get Tom to move from a public area.

May 15 Municipal Mingle Conversations

I spoke with City Manager Ann Mitchell and Managing Directors Dennis Egert and Pat Bohan about the media table; they are now all aware of my objections.

I must compliment them on making themselves accessible to the public at the Municipal Mingle.

Egert told me that none of the other media outlets objected to the move.

I just looked at him. I am a member of the media and I am objecting.

I told him that I had spoken with other media and they were not happy with it.

NB- Individual journalists might not object, it‘s the responsibility of their management to address the issue.

May 16 SDAB Meeting

I sat down at the media table. There was now a barrier which I moved. The signs were changed to say

NO SEATING - RESTRICTED ACCESS

I was asked by security to move. I told them I wasn’t moving, giving my reasons why. I said they can feel free to call the police if they like.

It was a cordial interaction. Security was just doing her job; I was doing mine.

Managing Director (MgD) Pat Bohan (Development and Infrastructure) came and asked me to move.

I told him no, that I had every right to sit where the public sat (he agreed) and that I needed access to power. I told him the location they designated was not suitable. I asked why we could not use the table until they had made accommodations for the media, he did not have an answer. Bohan said he would bring me an extension cord; it never arrived. I also told him to feel free to call the police. 

The SDAB chair said that audio or video recording was not permitted, that they were making an official recording of the meeting. He wanted me to stop recording (I was actually streaming). I said I would happily stop if they would make the official recording available to the public. He did not respond to me.

Not long after, I was removed by city police because I refused to stop streaming a public meeting in a public place.  Everybody has the right to take photos and videos in public places.

I was banished from City Hall for the remainder of the day.

I should note that I have recorded at least one meeting of the SDAB before, August 29 2023. These meetings are few and far between so the next time I had an opportunity to attend one of these meetings was months later, after they started the prohibition on recording. I complied back then but I’ve since learned that I was wrong. Again everybody has the right to take photos and videos in public places.

Upcoming May 21 City Council Meeting

I plan to sit at or at least use the power hookups at the media table. I fully expect to be arrested when I refuse to comply with their request for me to move. The other media outlets will be there too.

Here’s hoping they will record this grey haired grandmother being handcuffed and escorted out for exercising her rights to sit where she wants to in a public place.

I will not comply

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