Hamilton County commissioners are debating restricting access to the balcony in their meeting room, but it’s not clear if they’re worried about snipers or cellphone cameras.
A resolution on the Dec. 5 agenda would prohibit “access onto the press gallery of any non-credentialed news media persons.”
The gallery is up a flight of stairs at the back of the commission room, overlooking the audience chairs and the commission dais. It’s where local television stations set up their cameras to cover the weekly agenda or voting sessions.
The proposed resolution came out of a Legal Committee meeting last week, Commissioner Greg Martin said Wednesday. “Professional media,” such as the Times Free Press and local TV news, could use the gallery with no questions asked, according to the resolution.
Nonprofessionals such as bloggers, live-streamers and others, could get access by asking the commission chairman 24 hours in advance, according to the resolution.