The Indiana Publisher

Page 5 February 2022 Kaitlin Lange Indianapolis Star The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit Feb. 7 accusing Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita of violating the First Amendment by blocking a political writer from a news conference. Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, a WIBC radio host and editor and publisher of news website Indy Politics, said in the law- suit he was told by a spokes- person that he could not enter the attorney general's office for a news con- ference in October because he was not "credentialed media." Shabazz, who has been cov- ering Indiana government since 2004, said he RSVP'd and showed Rokita's staffer his press badge issued by the state of Indiana with "MEDIA" printed in bold letters. He also routinely attends media-only events, including press conferences with Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislative leaders. In addition to his radio respon- sibilities and website, Shabazz publishes the Cheat Sheet, a political newsletter, which he advertises as a "compilation of pure gossip, rumor and blatant innuendo." Shabazz is largely viewed as a conservative, howev- er, he has been critical of Rokita, who has become a leading voice for many on the far right of his party. Ken Falk, the ACLU of Indiana Legal Director, said the media operates as a "watchdog," and Rokita's decision to bar Shabazz threatens that concept. "As the complaint notes, the Attorney General's decision to ban Mr. Shabazz is based on either personal antipathy or on the opinion that Mr. Shabazz's reporting is too 'liberal,' or per- haps based on both," Falk said in a statement. "In either event, the attorney general's decision to ban Mr. Shabazz from press events is not viewpoint neutral. Blocking a journalist from attending a press conference because one does not agree with their reporting is a clear violation of the First Amendment." Defining credentialed media Kelly Stevenson, a spokes- person for Rokita, said Rokita's office will fight the lawsuit. "We will defend and potential- ly counterclaim against it aggres- sively since we are confident that our actions are legally sound and needed to protect staff against professional harassment while defending constituents from the 'rumors, gossip and blatant innu- endo' Shabazz directly admits to peddling," Stevenson said refer- ring to Shabazz's Cheat Sheet Rokita barred Shabazz from media events, ACLU says that's illegal Shabazz Rokita Lawsuit: AG violated First Amendment with their children and grand- children's education," said Mark Miller, committee chair for the Legacy Scholarship and HSPA Foundation board member. Applicants can pursue any area of study – not just journalism – at any college, university or vocational school. Past recipients have pursued a range of interests from business management to law, nursing, engineering and more. "The scholarships had been going to Indiana high school graduates who were going to study journalism. But we too often found that they changed majors during the course of their studies," Miller said. "We felt that the Legacy Scholarships would be a better use of the funds and a great way to recognize our most important asset — our employees at all levels." Last year's recipients were Addison Hensley and Anna Lavalley. Addison is the daughter of Larry and Danielle Hensley. Larry Hensley is gen- eral manager of The Herald- Times (Bloomington). Addison headed to Butler University in Indianapolis. with a plan to study psychol- ogy and Spanish and with an eye toward a career in physi- cal therapy. Anna of Valparaiso is the daughter of Andy and Amy Lavalley. Andy is a freelance photographer, who formerly was a photo edi- tor and photographer for the Post-Tribune (Crown Point). Amy is a freelance writer and former staff reporter with the Post-Tribune When she received her scholarship, Anna was start- ing her sophomore year at DePaul University in Chicago. She is focusing on international studies and German. Miller said applications in the past several years have dropped and the committee wants to be sure information is getting out to the employ- ees who could benefit from the program. "I would really like to encourage the publishers, general managers, or whoev- er receives the information to get that out in front of your employees any way you can," Miller said For more information and this year's application, see pages 15-17. Scholarship Continued from Page 1 See ACLU, page 9 "As the complaint notes, the Attorney General's decision to ban Mr. Sha- bazz is based on either personal antipathy or on the opinion that Mr. Shabazz's reporting is too 'liberal,' or perhaps based on both." — Ken Falk, legal director, ACLU of Indiana, Walt Bogdanich of the New York Times addresses attendees at the Investigative Journalism Symposium Feb. 10 at Indiana University in Bloomington. HSPA and HSPA Foundation were among the sponsors for the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism's event. Recordings of sessions can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3Bkfx4W.

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