A journalist from The Daily Southtown was issued three citations by the Calumet City, Illinois government, but the city indicated that it would drop the charges following communication with the newspaper’s legal representative.
A journalist from The Daily Southtown, a local newspaper near Chicago, received violation notices for his persistent attempts to contact officials in Calumet City, Illinois, while covering flooding problems.
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Officials in a suburban area of Chicago announced on Monday that they would drop the citations issued to a local news reporter in late October after he persistently reached out to elected officials regarding a flooding problem.
The Daily Southtown, a regional newspaper under the ownership of the Chicago Tribune Media Group, the parent company of The Chicago Tribune, published an article written by Hank Sanders. The article revealed that consultants had informed officials in Calumet City, Ill., about the poor condition of stormwater facilities before a flood struck the community in September.
Even after the article’s publication, Mr. Sanders, the reporter, continued to inquire about the flooding issues. His calls and emails led to complaints from Calumet City officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones, a Democrat who also serves as a state representative.
On October 30, Calumet City, located just south of Chicago, sent three notices to Mr. Sanders, citing violations of local ordinances. The city’s offense claim was “interference/hampering of city employees,” as reported by The Chicago Tribune earlier this month.
The violation notices stated that Mr. Sanders sent 14 emails in a nine-day period, although he mentioned in an interview that he had sent them to four or five different people during that time.
One of the violation notices stated, “Despite all FOIA requests being filled, Hank Sanders continues to contact city departments and city employees via phone and email,” referring to the Freedom of Information Act. It continued, “Despite requests from Calumet City attorneys to stop calling city departments and employees, Hank Sanders continues to do so.”
However, on Monday, Patrick Walsh, the Calumet City prosecutor and special counsel, informed the Chicago Tribune Media Group’s lawyer via email that the citations would be dismissed.
“I do not want to prolong this simply because you sent a flexing lawyer letter over the weekend,” Mr. Walsh stated, adding, “As you know, I was not a witness and have no interest in bickering about it.”
Mr. Walsh explained in the email that city employees felt “harassed” because Mr. Sanders continued to contact them despite their expressed desire not to speak to him. He also mentioned that he and Mr. Sanders had a “nice conversation” over the phone.
Mr. Sanders expressed his relief in an interview on Monday afternoon that the issue was resolved, allowing him to continue covering the city without further distraction.
“I’m just happy both sides were able to get to an understanding and resolve this process without too much pain,” Mr. Sanders said. “Reporters don’t like being the center of the stories, so I am happy that I can go back to my job.”
Mitch Pugh, the executive editor of The Chicago Tribune, shared the same sentiment, emphasizing the importance of supporting reporters in their work.
The summons issued on Oct. 30 had requested Mr. Sanders to appear in court, and it was unclear whether fines were associated with the citations. Chicago Tribune lawyers mentioned that the maximum fine for each citation was $500.
This episode is part of a series of recent conflicts between city officials and local news organizations nationwide, raising concerns about the role of a free press protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Don Craven, the president, chief executive, and general counsel of the Illinois Press Association, stressed the importance of news organizations speaking out against First Amendment violations like these.
“Newspapers have two ways of fighting back: One is litigation, and the other is newsprint and ink,” Mr. Craven said. “We have more of that than anybody else. We have to use it.”
Although the case involving Mr. Sanders may not be as significant as recent actions by local governments to restrict press operations, it is seen as part of the same trend, according to Mr. Pugh.
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