APS refuses to submit to KOAT interviews

Government by, for and of the people depends upon meaningful communication between the government and the people; two-way communication.

There are a number of reasons why the people can't expect individual face time with the most powerful politicians and public servants.

The solution we settled upon is for the people depend upon "the press" to ask the questions and then publish the responses.  The press, KOAT, asked to do interviews with APS administrators.  APS denied the interviews and offered statements instead.

The problem with a statements of course, they can't be asked follow up questions.  Questions and statements can be exchanged 'til the cows come home; it isn't two-way communication.

In KOAT's report, link, they refer to the people they talked to, the pols and public servants who denied them interviews, as "the district's communications staff."  Is it just me, or is it not important to know who speaks for the APS on this issue? 

Who is KOAT protecting, and why are they protecting them?

The media of late have been down playing titles and identities of APS senior administrators in the news.

The Journal recently published a piece where they referred to Monica Armenta a "communications staffer" instead of $106K a year Executive Director of Communications.


Co-incidence or conspiracy? It smells fishy.

The smell comes in no small part from the myriad of personal connections between APS senior administrators, board members and the establishment's media.

It was a "communications staffer" who told KOAT

"We provide district administrators for on-camera interviews when we feel they are appropriate..."

Since when do anonymous "communications staffers" decide whether a request from the press for someone in a position of responsibility to respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly, and in person, to legitimate questions about the public interests and about their public service, is "appropriate"?

The First Amendment was written to protect the press from the government. It is difficult to imagine a greater affront to the press than to deny the press access to government.

KOAT alluded to retaliation as the motive for the denials, citing a profile they did last year, on the high salaries APS gives to "communications staff".




photo Mark Bralley