Shasta Supervisors want journalists to cover board meetings from locked 'media room'

Journalists will have to begin reporting news from Shasta County Board of Supervisors meetings from outside the board's chambers in a designated media room.

Effective immediately, a new county policy states reporters, photographers and other media members covering meetings must stay in a separate locked room near the board chambers, according to a press release issued Friday by Deputy County Executive Officer Stewart Buettell.

Reporters and other journalists who choose to sit in the board chambers will be "considered participants...and may be asked" to leave chambers, along with other attendees, if there's a disruption, according to the press release.

The policy reverses a longtime courtesy of transparency that gives journalists access to the board chambers, regardless whether attendees are told to leave during a public meeting.

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The county's new media policy follows "recent events disrupting the regular course of business," the press release said.

The most recent was an incident at a supervisors meeting on July 23 , when members of the public shouted at Supervisor Patrick Jones and other board members regarding a disagreement about appointing Benjamin Nowain to the Shasta County Elections Commission.

Following Supervisor Tim Garman's nomination of Nowain to the panel, Jones voted "no" and claimed Nowain wanted to disband the commission.

Nowain and his spouse Jenny Nowain denied the claim and Nowain's supporters voiced objections from their seats.

Jones eventually called for security guards to clear the chambers. But Jenny Nowain conducted a one-woman sit-in, refusing to leave the chamber floor unless Jones apologized for claiming that her husband wanted to abolish the commission. Jones did not apologize and sheriff's deputies went on to carry Nowain out of the chambers.

Several reporters and photographers captured photos and video footage of Nowain sitting on the floor and of two deputies carrying her out.

More: Shasta County supervisors meeting once again shut down due to disruptions

If such an incident occurred again, according to the board's new policy, media members could leave the locked media room, but could not go into the chambers or re-enter the media room "until the Board of Supervisors resumes," according to Buettell's press release.

The next supervisors meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 30.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook . Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta Supervisors want journalists to cover board meetings from locked 'media room'