Lou Gelfand: Official didn't know a reporter was in the room
Published March 16, 2003 RR16
An acceptable definition of an open meeting is when the media receive a
news release of the time, location and agenda.
That's why reporter Randy Furst went to a Bloomington hotel March 4 to
cover a seminar at the Governor's Emergency Management Conference.
The door was open to the meeting room. Furst found a seat and took out his
notebook.
He heard Capt. Bill Chandler of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office begin
his talk by asking if there were any terrorists in the meeting. That drew a
laugh.
Then he said he was going to give the participants in the seminar some
information that was not classified, but was the kind of information he
preferred should not get out to the general public.
Furst began taking notes.
Chandler enumerated details about militia and neo-Nazi groups in Minnesota.
Chandler also commented about Arise, a Minneapolis bookstore; anti-racist
groups, and Students Against War, a University of Minnesota group. Chandler
said, and Furst's story reported, that Students Against War was organizing
a walkout of classes if war breaks out with Iraq, with plans to leave cars
in city intersections to create gridlock.
Furst approached Chandler afterward, identified himself, and later spoke
with him by phone. Chandler told him he did not know the meeting was open
to the media.
Chandler, via Roseann Campagnoli, spokesperson for the sheriff's office,
denied suggesting that the University of Minnesota group was likely to
create traffic gridlock.
"Bill told me he said it was a common tactic during civil protests to block
intersections with vehicles. He didn't say this particular group."
Chandler did not return my call.
The story said that when Nathan Mittelstaedt, an organizer for Students
Against War, was told that Chandler had referred to his group, he
responded: "You're kidding me? Wow. It's pretty disheartening to be listed
with some of those groups . . . I'm kind of shocked at this."
But there was no further government response in the Star Tribune until
March 11, when Kevin Smith, state Public Safety Department spokesman, said,
"Chandler did not call the local groups terrorist."
Comment: Should Furst have ignored Chandler's request that his comments not
get out to the public? Give Chandler the benefit of not knowing that a
reporter was in the audience.
If I was Furst I'd have considered the request naive. Someone should have
advised Chandler that the Star Tribune was sent a news release with this
note: "Chandler will identify Minnesota domestic groups."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3756311.html
