The Harris Campaign Appears To Selectively Bar Reporters From Campaign Coverage

The Harris-Walz campaign has continuously denied reporters and photographers from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette access to the campaign events, reportedly due to labor action within the company, according to an op-ed from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Brandon McGinley.

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz began their bus tour in the battleground state of Georgia, kicking off their outreach to voters following the Democratic National Convention (DNC). McGinley called out the Democratic campaign Saturday, claiming it has barred “Post-Gazette reporters from the veep announcement, from parts of the Democratic National Convention and (as of this writing) from all future events where they have the ability to control access.”

“It’s a form of political pandering at the expense of core democratic principles — exactly what the campaign claims to be fighting against in the Republican Party,” McGinley stated.

The barring from the campaign is reportedly connected to labor actions that began in October 2022, when a journalists’ strike erupted after a Teamsters unit, one of the largest labor unions in America, went on strike over the suspension of a legacy health care plan. McGinley stated that as negotiations have continued, the union interfered with the outlet’s reporting and allegedly persuaded Democratic officials and candidates to decline interviews with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“Denying access to disfavored press as a favor to political allies, however, just further institutionalizes the new normal, where the application of all principles depends on whether you’re a friend or an enemy. Today, the Harris-Walz campaign considers the Post-Gazette to be its enemy, and it denies us the rights accorded to others. Tomorrow, who’s next?” McGinley asked.