posted April 13, 2006
Times Free Press investigative reporter Michael Weber will no longer be allowed to call, gather information, or get quotes from city personnel, Mayor Ron Littlefield said Thursday.
Tom Griscom, executive editor of the Times Free Press, said, "We expect our employees to act in a professional manner at all times. When requesting information, conducting an interview and writing a story, our reporters know the standards and practices of the Times Free Press."
A statement from the Littlefield office said, "After months of providing Mr. Weber with volumes and volumes of Open Records Act information, being extremely forthcoming, timely and helpful with all of his needs and requests, Mayor Littlefield thinks it is time to stop taking Mr. Weber’s threatening and accusatory phone calls."
Mayor Littlefield said, "I’ve instructed city personnel they are to have no further contact with Times Free Press Reporter Michael Weber. Mr. Weber has approached key staff in an abrasive and accusatory manner. He is obviously on some personal mission and is chasing ghosts and goblins that don’t exist except in his own mind. His usual mode of operation is to call and leave some gloriously inaccurate message then claim he is on deadline and filing for publication unless he hears otherwise. Perhaps this is a tactic that worked for Mr. Weber in Brooklyn, but it won’t work here, it won’t work for me. My guess is that it really didn’t work for Mr. Weber in Brooklyn and that is why he is here in Chattanooga.
“This is annoying, distracting, and counter to our efforts to deal honestly and openly with all media. If Mr. Weber wishes to publish irresponsible and inaccurate information he will do so without my participation. When Mr. Weber learns to behave in a more professional fashion as a journalist in the future I’ll reconsider this ban."
Mayor Littlefield added that he and his administration "have been very considerate of the media’s requests in the past and will continue to do so in the future. We welcome open dialogue about city matters and believe that transparency in government is one of the tenants that make our country strong."
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