"Journalists who cover Florida's capital complained to industry leaders Tuesday that the new administration of Gov. Rick Scott is skirting free-press traditions and attempting to control their work by limiting access to events and being slow to provide public records", AP via NECN reported.

Speaking to the board of the Florida Society of News Editors, nine Tallahassee correspondents complained that the governor's media rules are too tight because they restrict journalists from attending some events that previously would have been considered open, as well as imposing an unprecedented level of control over access to Scott himself.

One suggested the problem with Scott's attitude arose from the fact that he was operating as if he were still in the private sector, rather than holding public office (he was former health care executive).

The journalists pointed to several examples, the article underlines, including a post-inauguration reception held at the state Capitol, where Scott's staff restricted access to only a select few, even if it was expected to be a public meeting, in a public building and with the state legislature invited. Several journalists were booted out.

Another example was a dinner at the governor's mansion, where the governor's staff made a last minute decision to bring in a reporter to file a pooled report. Dave Royse, executive editor of the News Service of Florida, said he was invited to be the pool reporter, the AP explained. He could not accept so offered a reporter from his staff in his place, but that reporter was rejected, "The person or group being covered 'can't pick and choose the reporter,'" the AP reported Royse as saying.

The article also reported that Aaron Deslatte, Tallahassee bureau chief for the Orlando Sentinel, said he'd been given very little access to the governor because during Scott's campaign, his staff considered the newspaper "hostile."

Such events have driven Jim Baltzelle, FSNE president and chief of bureau for the Associated Press, to raise concerns about the freedom of the press. He said FSNE would consider how to formally respond to the restrictions.

Source: AP via NECN@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }