Gov. Chris Christie is challenging a court order for his office to release a high-tech media list, assembled at taxpayers’ expense, as a public record.
In a bizarre appeal, Deputy Attorney General Daniel M. Vannella argued the list is a “valuable asset” that would give New Jersey Watchdog an “unfair competitive advantage” over other media outlets. In his brief, Vannella cited a law that allows the state to withhold inside information from contractors who bid on government jobs.
New Jersey Watchdog does not bid on government contracts. It is a non-profit investigative news site that freely shares its content with other news outlets.
Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson ordered the governor’s office to turn over a copy of the list to New Jersey Watchdog by June 12. But instead of complying, the state attorney general filed a last-minute motion on the governor’s behalf, asking Jacobson to reconsider her decision.
Release of the media list “would be an unprecedented release of proprietary press information…that would provide an unfair competitive advantage to plaintiff,” wrote Vannella.
In reality, the list gives Christie a competitive advantage over his rivals and competitors in the political arena. It is an integral cog in a publicly-funded publicity machine that launched him into the national spotlight and towards a probable run for the White House in 2016.
It contains contact information for roughly 2,500 reporters, producers and editors, subdivided into categories, which enables Christie and his staff to selectively target efforts to promote their political ambitions.
The list was created by the governor’s communications staff, which consists of 16 full-time state employees paid $1.36 million in salaries last year.
It has helped the governor score countless national television appearances, not to mention 8,761,511 views on YouTube, 176,955 likes on Facebook and 6,810 tweets to 489,000 followers on Twitter during his first five years in office.
Vannella likened the media list to “trade secrets and proprietary commercial or financial information.” That exclusion in the public records statute was intended to protect confidential information that private businesses are required to share with state regulators.
That argument suggests the governor has a proprietary, or ownership interest in the list. But the governor’s office is not a private business. And while the media list may be a valuable asset for his political future, it is a governmental record, not Christie’s property.
“Gov. Christie should let the sun shine in, acknowledge the judgment of the court, and make this government-prepared information public,” said Prof. Charles Lewis, executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.
“It's the law,” added Lewis, an advocate for transparency in government. “Honestly, he should know better.”
The report is online at http://watchdog.org/225235/christie-challenges-court-order/.
No comments:
Post a Comment