PEI Legislative Speaker bars disabled journalist from press gallery
The Speaker of the PEI Legislative Assembly has barred an Internet journalist from the press gallery for writing a satirical story. The disabled journalist says he will be barred from reporting on the Legislature. Other media outlets have complained.
PRLog – Nov 12, 2009 – Hon. Kathleen Casey, MLA (Liberal) has revoked the media accreditation of a disabled journalist, Stephen Pate of NJN Network.
Citing a 1971 motion of the Legislature of Prince Edward Island, Casey said “your media accreditation at the Legislative Assembly is hereby revoked.”
According to Wayne Thibodeau, president of the newly formed Press Gallery of the PEI Legislature, the April 6, 1971 motion has never been invoked before.
Speaker Casey and her clerk prevailed recently on the PEI press corps to form an organization and oust Pate from its midst very soon thereafter.
Pate writes for and publishes NJN Network, an Internet news journal. With more 30,000 readers, NJN covers politics, health and disability, business, and features stories.
“In their daily jobs gallery members are charged with getting the details right and ensuring proper process is followed,” said Eastern Graphic published Paul MacNeill in what he dubbed Pate-Gate.
“Instead they rushed to turf him without benefit of proper procedure. And in the process only made the press gallery look weak.”
“It’s the type of hypocrisy that is driving people away from traditional news sources right into the lap of new media, such as bloggers.”
Pate has post polio syndrome and uses a wheelchair.
“The letter from the Speaker effectively stops me from covering the Legislature and committees,” said Pate.
Attendance from the Legislature Gallery, which has been suggested by the press gallery, is not safe for Pate. It is not accessible. The steep steps are very dangerous for people with walking disabilities and balance problems.
“If I fell trying to get down to the rail,” added Pate “the fall to the Legislature floor could be fatal. I am not steady on my feet.”
“The press gallery room is accessible and made it possible for me to watch and tape the proceedings. I am not allowed to use taping equipment in the Legislature. My hands cramp when I try to write.”
“The Speaker and the press gallery have effectively denied me the right to work while reporting on PEI politics,” said Pate.
“The irony is they will then accuse me of copying their reports.”
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees people living with disabilities equal protection and access to the law. The PEI Human Rights Act makes discrimination against the disabled illegal.
On the night Premier Ghiz got elected, he said in his victory speech at the Delta Hotel “We are going to start showing respect for people with disabilities.”
“I fail to see how his statement correlates with the Speaker’s decision,” said Pate.
Pate has written the Speaker appealing her decision.
NJN Network News is a purely Web 2.0 Internet news source. We publish multi-media stories on Word Press, YouTube and other socialmedia sites plus our own website. We cover topics daily including politics, current events, music, social advocacy, disability
13 Responses to 'PEI Legislative Speaker bars disabled journalist from press gallery'
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Serious question-
How does it feel to write about yourself in the third person?
John MacL
12 Nov 09 at 10:03 pm
Isn’t calling yourself a ‘disabled journalist’ trying to manipulate peoples’ sympathies? Why not say ‘Acadian journalist’ or ‘white journalist’?
Possibly because you’re attempting to puff up some pity and sympathy based on something other than the facts?
It would be illustrative to see you answer my question, but I won’t expectsuch Free Speech.
JMcL
John McLean
13 Nov 09 at 3:45 am
I am a journalist and a person living with a disability which are essential facts. Both of those are germane to the issue at hand. To add other issues – hair color, language, shoe size would be to cloud the issue.
The issue is not one of sympathy but of human rights. A sympathetic story would be one where we say pity the subject because their situation is pitiable.
Clearly the Speaker and the press gallery have not given close attention to the reality of the working life of a person with a disability.
Thanks for the question.
Stephen Pate
13 Nov 09 at 6:17 am
Your physical state has nothing to do with this, unless you want to make it look like they did to you was because you are disabled.
Is that your allegation?
John MacL
13 Nov 09 at 9:42 pm
Since didn’t allow my other comment, how about this:
A disability has about as much to do with this story as eye colour or shoe size.
John McLean
14 Nov 09 at 5:06 am
Your comment was printed as submitted.
Stephen Pate
14 Nov 09 at 6:03 am
That is your opinion but not the case.
If someone puts up a barrier that you cannot overcome due to disability, then disability has something to do with it.
Intent is not required to demonstrate discrimination. Intent is generally only required for criminal law.
Google the subject of disability discrimination related to work and see what other people say.
Stephen Pate
14 Nov 09 at 6:05 am
I think one of the key points members of the media have overlooked are the notions of professionalism vs. profession.
While it is the responsibility of a reporter to conduct themselves in a professional manner, theirs is not a profession. It was once said no one can just hang around an ER and become a doctor unless the have the credentials but anyone with an interest in reporting can hang around the newsroom and some day get the opportunity to go out and cover a story, snap a photo and ask who, what, where, when and why.
With that said, because this is such a muddled manner, trained media become threatened quickly by such things as “new media” and bloggers. There’s a general concern bloggers will take over their jobs because, frankly, its not a profession. It’s a job.
Once reporters get it into their heads it is their job to write stories bloggers want to write about and bloggers determine themselves as individuals with opinions (when’s the last time you saw a blogger reporting from the scene of an accident) many of these issues will go by the wayside.
Reporters report. People with opinions blog…or write satire.
Pensive
26 Nov 09 at 1:50 pm
is that an opinion?
If journalists don’t write opinions and stuck to original reporting…well that’s to silly to even contemplate.
The truth is journalism is a mixture of writing styles and genres. Is a rock music journalist a member of the press or a groupie.
You try to find a line of demarcation that doesn’t exist and never did.
Stephen Pate
26 Nov 09 at 2:08 pm
All I see here on this comment board is resentment for Stephen probably due to his success as a blogger.His political satire is very amusing ,clever and no worse than political cartoons that are published daily in pretty much every newspaper in the free world,and as far as his describing his physical limitations are concerned, he above all should know what they are and none of us are qualified to judge him on it .He is an advocate for the disabled after all.I personally do not pity the man, he has the courage and the conviction to better himself and his own situation ,attributes to be admired and certainly respected .Njn is in my mind a great forum for dicussion on all sorts of issues and the onus is on the reader to sift and sort what they like and dislike and should not be deprived of first hand accounts by a reliable source of the internal proceedings of our government .please keep up the good work Stephen .
tongue in cheek
14 Feb 10 at 11:31 pm
Steven
I just read your past article on Mitch Tweel and if this is similar to your legislative stories, I would suggest you may be taking your satire a little too far.
It is one thing to bring up toxic waste sites and playgrounds and I respect your doing that but to joke about a low IQ and ethnic background of any person might be a bit over the edge of journalistic etiquette.
Maybe the legislators decision to ban you has nothing to do with your physical challenges but rather with the words you are using. Satire should not be used to insult. Just a thought form your friend Sid
jim e mac
15 Feb 10 at 11:51 am