Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Transparency Media topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City attorney outlines new executive‑session media policy guided by Oregon Attorney General; council to consider three applications
Summary
The City Attorney presented a revised policy to govern media access to executive sessions that incorporates Attorney General guidance on ‘institutional media’; staff recommended outcomes for three pending applications.
City Attorney Ashley Weigot presented a draft revision to the city’s policy on news media attendance at executive sessions and summarized how the Oregon Attorney General’s guidance informed the proposed changes.
Weigot said the update does not change the city’s process so much as it clarifies how the city will evaluate applications by nontraditional media outlets seeking to attend closed executive sessions. The draft policy adds specific criteria the attorney general has suggested cities may consider, including whether the outlet has a formal business structure, staff with assigned roles, a record of regular publication, a separation of news and opinion, commitments to comply with confidentiality, and procedures for correcting errors.
Weigot told council that three applications to attend executive sessions were on the council agenda and that she had prepared recommendations informed by the attorney general’s test. Councilors asked practical questions about how the policy would apply to a local outlet mentioned in the meeting packet (referred to in the discussion as COHIE). Weigot said a representative of an institutional outlet would still need to submit an application and a formal affiliation letter; staff would evaluate each application under the criteria outlined in the policy.
Councilors praised the memo and said the guidance was thorough and helpful. No formal action was taken during the work session; Weigot said the policy can be refined over time as new media forms emerge and suggested staff would present the recommendations and applications during the council meeting that night.
The attorney emphasized that closed‑session attendance rules are narrow: executive sessions are allowed in specified circumstances such as litigation strategy, real property negotiations and labor bargaining, and the policy is intended to make the city’s review process transparent to applicants and the public.
