Members of the Polk County Democrats were busy making signs supporting Judge Crawford. – Photo by Robert Tabern

 

POLK COUNTY – The Polk County Democrats Steering Committee has decided to ban all local media, including the Inter-County Leader, from its meetings. In an email sent late morning on Saturday, March 1, the Pok County Democrats announced their decision. The email was sent to Leader Editor Robert Tabern, as well as to editors of the Amery Free Press and Osceola Sun, as well as the publisher of both of those papers.

The email said, “This email is to inform you that the Polk County Democrats Steering Committee has decided that, effective immediately, our monthly meetings will no longer be open to the press. After careful consideration, the committee has decided, given the increasingly complex political landscape we find ourselves in for 2025, our meetings will shift to a more strategic focus to allow us to better respond to the rapidly evolving political climate.

In addition to our strategic discussions, we aim to build a progressive community where individuals can share their ideas and concerns freely. We believe that having the press in attendance may not foster the kind of open, collaborative environment necessary for these goals.

We understand the importance of transparency, and to that end, we will provide a written summary of each meeting and share it with you. You are welcome to publish these summaries, in their entirety, at your discretion. There will also be instances where the press’s presence would be appropriate, and we will extend invitations for those specific events.

We appreciate your understanding as we navigate this evolving political landscape.”

The email was then signed by various members of the Polk County Democrats Steering Committee including Ann Turner, Robert DeGroote, Julie Richardson, Pam Girtz, Carolyn Saunders, Brad Mabry, Dave Ollman, Margaret Weiler and Claire Cook-Chinander.

On Thursday, April 11, 2024, at a Polk County Democrats meeting, Leader reporter Sarah Beth Radomsky was abruptly asked to leave during the social time prior to an event they hosted, where the speaker, Wisconsin Democratic Party Northwest Regional Director Connor Burke, decided he did not want the press present to hear what he had to say to the group at their publicly invited gathering.

Officials then allowed media to return to cover their meetings prior to the general election. However, media received an email that in December 2024 and January 2025, the group was holding meetings for members only in the wake of the November elections for strategic planning and the media was not invited.

Last month, on Feb. 13, Leader editor Robert Tabern returned to cover their regular monthly meeting, which included discussions on the supreme court election, and watching three short videos on other topics.

The Inter-County Leader plans to discuss the decision made with state party officials, as well as at the upcoming Wisconsin Newspaper Association meeting later this week in Madison.

Also, see separate editorial on this subject in this week’s Leader.