Kamloops council considers media accreditation as public barred from recording

Kamloops city council is set to consider whether to vet news media for the ability to record their meetings.

It comes after new conduct rules for council chambers were posted last fall, which bar the public from recording the meetings, but news media weren’t included.

According to city spokesperson Kristen Rodrigue, that created an issue: how do city staff determine who is a news reporter?

“Recognizing that the field of journalism has evolved, the media landscape has evolved, it’s a lot less black and white to decide who is on (the media list)… the point of this is to have a transparent, clear, defendable process that everybody goes through to be able to uphold the rules of decorum,” Rodrigue said.

As proposed, journalists would submit proof they work for a news organization. In return, they can sit in seats reserved for media and they can use electronic devices in council chambers.

They’ll be expected to abide by journalistic standards and council’s rules of decorum, or risk losing accreditation, according to the staff report.

There are a few Canadian cities that adopted similar rules for council meetings.

Toronto and Edmonton, for example, give media accreditation largely so known reporters can bypass some security checkpoints. They do not restrict the public from recording during public meetings.

Nanaimo, which is the city modelled in the proposed Kamloops policy, does not have such security provisions, but it does have similar recording policies.

The decorum rules in Kamloops council chambers were introduced after repeated incidents with members of the public both in the gallery and online, but it’s not clear whether there was a specific incident that led to the ban on recording and electronic devices.

According to the staff report, it helps the city manage the environment in council chambers “in a way that promotes safety, decorum and respect.”

“By clearly defining who is considered media for the purposes of equipment use and access to reserved seating, the City can maintain transparency while preventing misuse of media privileges,” the report reads.

It’s expected to be debated at a April 27 council committee meeting.