EDITORIAL: Let the media in

The bipartisan trend of Nevada politicians preventing press coverage of their events is foolish.

Last week, Sen. Dean Heller spoke at the Nevada Republican Men’s Club. The press has frequently covered speakers at the event.

But this time, club president Pauline Ng Lee kept the press out, claiming there wasn’t enough space. Ms. Lee insisted the decision was her board’s and not Sen. Heller’s, but that excuse rings hollow. Reporters sit in the back and can stand if needed.

Tellingly, the next Republican Men’s Club meeting, a forum for candidates running for the 4th Congressional District, isn’t advertised as closed to the press, as the Heller event was.

Two weeks ago, Red Rock Democratic Club officials kicked Review-Journal reporter Ramona Giwargis out of a forum for CD4 candidates. Club president Dan Kruger said that the candidates can’t “speak freely” with the press there. “We’ve had politicians say they won’t come to these events if the press is there because they want to be candid without looking over their shoulder,” said Mr. Kruger. “In the last election, there were trackers everywhere, and they were not favorable.”

Most of the Democrats running for CD4 claimed ignorance when told after the event that the press wasn’t allowed to cover it.

In February, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak even prevented Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks from attending a press conference.

Yes, politicians from President Donald Trump on down are more actively trying to control their messages by bypassing traditional outlets in favor of social media. Fine. But barring members of the press from open public forums is a cowardly tactic that reveals a deep disdain for voters. If politicians are afraid the media will report their positions on the issues, they should find another job. Legislative votes are cast openly, and our democracy depends on members of the public having information on the candidates.

Efforts to limit press coverage are also unlikely to succeed. Every attendee has a phone that can record the speech. Rival campaigns are very good about sending trackers to record opposing candidates and leak any gaffes to the press.

Sure enough, someone recorded Sen. Heller’s speech. The Review-Journal’s Colton Lochhead obtained audio of the event and put it online just two days later. Nothing Sen. Heller said was scandalous or even surprising to someone who’s been paying attention. He said that a decrease in Democrats’ voter registration advantage was helpful to his campaign. He predicted that Republicans will gain seats in the Senate and that those gains would help Republicans repeal and replace Obamacare. The so-called “skinny repeal” failed by one vote last year. Sen. Heller supported it.

The newsiest thing about Sen. Heller’s speech was that he kept the press out of it. That’s a mistake for any candidate or incumbent hoping to earn the trust of the voters.