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Free press advocates ask Iowa Senate leaders to give reporters more access

League of Women Voters and others speak out
Jack Whitver
Posted at 5:20 PM, Jan 19, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-19 18:20:57-05

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Free press advocates pushed Iowa Senate leaders to change a policy that removed reporters from the Senate floor for the first time in more than
100 years and moved them to a second-floor public gallery where they can’t interact with lawmakers.

League of Women Voters of Iowa President Terese Grant on Wednesday said that limiting the access of reporters to senators also limits the fundamental right of the citizens of Iowa to have firsthand knowledge of the governmental process.

The organization and others, including the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa and the Iowa Capitol Press Association, held the press conference to highlight action by Republican Senate leaders to remove reporters from the chamber’s floor, where they had greater access to legislators.