When federal judges wanted to showcase the opening of their new courthouse in Portland, they invited TV cameras in on three separate media days. But when folks from ABC World News called this week, saying they wanted to come to Portland to do a piece about the new courthouse, it was a different story. As of Tuesday afternoon, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Michael Hogan was telling them they couldn't bring their cameras into a building that taxpayers built. On Monday, Hogan told an ABC producer that media day was two weeks ago, and if ABC wanted video of the courthouse it should go to the local affiliate in Portland. Then, for good measure, Hogan refused an interview. Hogan's refusal has nothing to do with rules that have restricted TV cameras from federal courtrooms. Each of the 94 federal judicial districts in the country makes its own rules about media access. Oregon's rules--like those for federal courts in Seattle and San Francisco--clearly allow judges to ban cameras from the courthouse. But they also give Hogan plenty of discretion when it comes to videotaping non-judicial proceedings, like interviews. ABC wasn't asking to tape a trial. It just wanted footage of the $129 million public building. So was Hogan just playing hardball with the ABC crew because he feared a negative story? We don't know. Hogan didn't return WW's calls. Perhaps Hogan didn't want the nation's viewers to glimpse the new courtrooms that are likely to be vacant most of the time ("The People's Court?" WW, Nov. 12, 1997). Or maybe he's a bit shy about his own spacious chambers on the top floor of the courthouse, with a fabulous view of Mount Hood and a spectacular penthouse terrace--private digs provided even though he spends the vast majority of his time working in Eugene. Federal court clerk Don Cinnamond wouldn't speculate on Hogan's motives for denying the camera crew access. "This has been our policy for generations," Cinnamond told WW. |
