I’ve worked as a journalist for almost three decades. I’ve written extensively about Iowa politics since 2007. My byline has appeared online for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, CNN, Raw Story, and several local newspapers.
But it took a lawsuit to get the Iowa House of Representatives to acknowledge my First Amendment right to cover the legislature on equal footing with other statehouse reporters.
The Iowa House chief clerk recently, finally approved my request for a seat on the press bench — five years after I first applied for credentials. This saga should frighten anyone who cares about press freedom.
When journalists are denied basic First Amendment rights, it’s not just their newsroom that suffers. It also hurts citizens’ access to information and undermines democracy.
The dispute began in January 2019. The Iowa legislature had no written credentialing policy. Then-Chief Clerk Carmine Boal refused even to send me a credential application on the grounds that “press credentials are not issued to members of the public.”
Her assessment surprised me because I had been publishing hundreds of articles a year about Iowa politics as the editor and lead reporter for the independent website Bleeding Heartland. I’ve earned a reputation for providing in-depth coverage that is tough and often critical of Iowa leaders — but also fair and accurate. Publications ranging from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald and The Des Moines Register to The Washington Post and Politico have praised my work.
Despite those qualifications, the chief clerk used her power to deny me a place alongside my peers.
After some public criticism from the journalism community over the denial, the Iowa House laid out specific criteria for credentialed media for the first time in February of that year. The chief clerk ignored my messages seeking to demonstrate that I met the terms of the new policy.
As time passed, I faced Calvinball-like changes to the criteria.
When I applied again in January 2020, Chief Clerk Meghan Nelson turned me down because “the House does not credential outlets that are nontraditional/independent in nature.” But the chamber’s written policy said nothing about excluding “nontraditional” or “independent” media.
As the 2021 session approached, I thought I had found a way forward. A peer who also operated his own Iowa news organization got credentialed in early 2020 through a radio station. So, I signed an employment agreement in December 2020 to become the part-time statehouse reporter for KHOI radio in Ames, Iowa. As it turned out, the House didn’t credential anyone in 2021, ostensibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
House leaders agreed to reopen the press box for the 2022 legislative session. But in late December 2021, the rules changed again. With the help of an attorney and an accountant, I made sure I complied with each new element of the policy, clarifying my news outlet’s structure and formalizing my status as a full-time paid employee of Bleeding Heartland.
Despite that compliance, and despite my new affiliation with KHOI, Chief Clerk Nelson determined in 2022, 2023, and again this year: “you do not meet the requirements.” She offered no further explanation whatsoever beyond that cold, terse rejection and ignored my follow-up questions.
As the 2024 legislative session began in early January, my credentialed peers covered proceedings from the House press box. My only options were to watch online or from public galleries in the balcony — in either case, I would be unable to conduct interviews or access materials given to reporters who work on the House floor.
Having exhausted all other options, I went to court to assert my constitutional rights. The Institute for Free Speech filed a federal lawsuit on my behalf on Jan. 19.
Just four days later, the chief clerk informed me my application had been approved, and that a space would be reserved for me on the House press bench.
The institute’s attorneys crafted compelling legal arguments. Facing potential liability and an incredibly weak case on the merits, House leaders reversed course.
As the institute’s lawyers stated plainly, I had been qualified all along.
Though I am relieved my case has been resolved, the path to reach this destination was exhausting. Moreover, a looming danger persists: Iowa House officials are still free to administer their credentialing policy in an arbitrary or biased way to block access to others who regularly cover the legislature.
In some states, professional media associations decide who can report from the house or senate floors. That’s a fairer process than letting institutional gatekeepers call the shots — especially when those gatekeepers are partisan appointees, like the Iowa House chief clerk.
I hope my experience raises awareness and galvanizes support for the next journalist denied access by some government official for no good reason. For now, I am grateful this legal battle has ended, allowing me to devote my full attention to reporting on Iowa lawmakers — and holding them accountable.
