Published reports suggest that the Department of Labor is poised to delay implementation of a policy announced in April that would require reporters working in the DOL’s “lock-up” room to use government computers and transmission lines when writing stories about DOL reports and data as they’re released. The proposed policy caused a flurry of criticism from media outlets and prompted a June 6 hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. DOL will announce a new start date this week, according to reports quoting an e-mail from DOL media specialist Carl Fillichio.
We’re glad to see that DOL is at least planning to postpone the policy. Media Institute President Patrick Maines was an early and outspoken critic of this bureaucratic folly, questioning the wisdom of such a move in his May 7 post.
Let’s hope that any delay becomes permanent, and that this attempt to extend the government’s hand into reporters’ notebooks is forever banished to the dust heap of bad ideas.
The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and not of The Media Institute, its Board, contributors, or advisory councils.