Columbia College Professor Curtis Lawrence and his 12 journalism students received a cold welcome when they arrived at a Bruce Rauner press conference on Tuesday in River North.
The Rauner campaign would not allow them into that press event — or future events — saying only “working media” could enter.
“When I asked about future events, she said that it was their ‘policy’ that only credentialed press would be allowed in,” Lawrence said. “When I mentioned that some of the students were published in the school-sponsored website, ChicagoTalks, she reiterated that they too would need credentials. This has never been an issue with other campaigns and we do this regularly during campaign season.”
Lawrence said the students waited outside the closed-door presser, hoping the candidate might stop for a moment on his way out.
No luck.
Quinn’s camp jumped on the incident:
“It appears we just got a sneak preview of what it would be like to cover a Bruce Rauner administration: little access and no respect for young journalists,” said Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson. A Rauner campaign spokesman declined comment.Would Gov. Pat Quinn’s campaign have treated them any differently?
“When I reminded some of the students that have taken classes with me before that this experience was totally different from when we covered Quinn’s press conference announcing Vallas as his running mate, one replied: “Yeah, they gave us candy.”
(Disclosure: I have in the past taught journalism courses at Columbia College — including once with Curtis Lawrence).