What was McKee's point?
By Philip Eil, Rhode Island Current
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| McKee barred press cameras and the public from his speech glossing over his mistakes and the state's real problems |
In a break from tradition, McKee prohibited independent television cameras in the chamber. Instead local TV-news channels were forced to rely on a broadcast feed from the state-funded and operated Capitol TV.
Additionally, protesters who had planned to assemble in the Rotunda — a perennial rally point inside the State House — were rebuffed by barriers and a sign announcing the Department of Administration had reserved the space from 4:30 to 10 p.m. That pushed the previously-planned “People’s State of the State” rally, which focused on homelessness and economic disparities, further from the House chamber into the first floor’s Bell Room.
“It’s the people in Rhode Island who make our story special,” he said at one point, while, outside the chamber, Capitol Police and Rhode Island State Police patrolled a cordoned-off public space, where a sign read “DO NOT ENTER.”
But McKee’s norm-breaking restrictions weren’t just a silly gaffe. And his actions received quick — and appropriate — disapproval. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi told reporters he couldn’t recall a time during the tenures of former Govs. Gina Raimondo or Lincoln Chafee when similar steps had been taken. “I think it breeds mistrust among the media and the advocates,” he said.
Tim White, a longtime WPRI investigative reporter and a member of the New England First Amendment Coalition’s board of directors, called the camera ban “unacceptable” and said the restriction — which limited the public’s ability to see the speech’s reception, including the reactions of legislators — amounted to “a form of censorship.”
At one point, the Providence Journal’s Kathy Gregg, a veteran member of the RI press corps, asked on X if either policy had a precedent.
Early efforts to understand the governor’s choices did little to quell the dismay. On X, WPRI assignment manager Anita Baffoni noted that, prior to the speech, she had asked “multiple” people in the governor’s office for access to the chamber, but was told there wasn’t room, which she noted was a departure from previous years.
After the speech, McKee’s press secretary said a “miscommunication resulting from a transition in staff” — not a lack of space — was to blame for the camera ban. Though, as the Boston Globe noted, the governor has had the same comms director since taking office.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the governor explained that the Rotunda had simply been pre-reserved before protestors asked to use it. But the Rotunda remained conspicuously empty throughout the evening.
Rhode Island ACLU Executive Director Steve Brown called the governor’s two moves “very troubling from a free speech point of view,” noting that the closure of the Rotunda seemed to serve “no apparent reason…other than to make [a] rally more difficult.”
It’s customary for the opposition party to deliver an address right after the State of the State. On Tuesday evening, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield delivered a response on behalf of Rhode Island Republicans which called attention to “avoidable” crises like the RIBridges data breach and the Washington Bridge shutdown.
This year, it feels appropriate to add a brief, separate response on behalf of the state’s people and press.
First, the governor’s actions toward the press and protestors, which would have been ill-advised at any time, were especially tone-deaf at our current moment.
McKee acknowledged in his speech that a new president will take office in less than a week. Surely he knows this incoming president has a track record of tear-gassing protestors for the sake of a photo op, encouraging people at his rallies to rough up protestors, and levying an endless stream of invective against the fourth estate.
Indeed, McKee has written an op-ed warning against President-elect Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” style. Rather than use the State of the State to affirm the value of democratic freedoms of the press and assembly, he instead took steps to curtail them.
In doing so, on Tuesday night, McKee added to his own less-than-stellar record of transparency. Before taking office, he initially refused to release the names of applicants for the lieutenant governor position he was vacating which, due to the unusual circumstances, would be filled by an appointment instead of an election.
Since becoming governor, he and/or his administration have charged hefty fees for public records, scaled back access to public meetings, and opposed legislation that would strengthen the state’s public records laws. In the early aftermath of the Washington Bridge debacle, McKee snapped at a reporter for asking a reasonable question about the future employment of Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, Jr.
He also released a salacious email about misconduct within his administration only after the Attorney General’s office forced him to. Tuesday’s events seem less like innocent missteps and more like part of a disturbing pattern.
And so, at this turbulent time in both our nation and state’s history, I offer a reminder. Gov. McKee, engaging with journalists and protestors is not an optional part of your job. In a democracy, it comes with the gig. By taking steps to restrict both during your biggest speech of the year, you showed weakness, not strength. And you also sent an alarming message about the actual state of our state: In Rhode Island, we’re not as removed from the country’s antidemocratic drift as we might hope.
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Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.
