Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a candidate for the House from New York, loves the media and the media loves her right back. After her primary win over Democrat incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, she’s traveled all around the country and never had a problem with the cameras.
That is until Ocasio-Cortez returned to the district she may represent in the House. Her campaign banned the press from stops on a tour throughout the district.
Ocasio-Cortez has embarked on a “listening tour” for her future constituents to engage in “lively, compassionate discourse with a diversity of viewpoints.”
But unless you attended the town hall, no one knows what happened because Ocasio-Cortez banned the press.
From The Queens Chronicle:
But when Ocasio-Cortez returned to the district for a Bronx community meeting with prominent healthcare activist Ady Barkan last Tuesday, her campaign manager, Vigie Ramos Rios, later told the Chronicle, she was “mobbed” by reporters, “even though we said no Q&A and no one-on-one [interviews].”According to Ramos Rios and campaign spokesman Corbin Trent, that unwanted attention led to a press ban both for last Wednesday’s listening tour stop in the Bronx and Sunday’s in Corona.“We wanted to help create a space where community members felt comfortable and open to express themselves without the distraction of cameras and press. These were the first set of events where the press has been excluded,” Trent said. “This is an outlier and will not be the norm. We’re still adjusting our logistics to fit Alexandria’s national profile.”
Um, no matter where you go, the press will still shout questions and try to get a word in even if you say there’s no Q&A session or interviews. That’s how it works:
I want to know why this is unwanted compared to the other times she had the media shoved in her face. To me it sounds like an excuse to ban the press from the meeting.
Why shun the local media of the district you will represent, but embrace the national media? Your local media is the most important, Ocasio-Cortez.
No, her campaign doesn’t think she’s being hypocritical:
Asked if it was hypocritical for Ocasio-Cortez to ban the press from an in-district community meeting after weeks of interviews with prominent publications and rallying with candidates in other states, Trent said the campaign is committed to maintaining a positive relationship with area media outlets.“After our primary victory, the campaign had what we saw as a unique and limited opportunity for Alexandria to use her elevated platform to speak about issues affecting our district to the national media, and to campaign for other progressive candidates around the country,” he said. “By working to get other progressive candidates elected, Alexandria will be securing more national voting power for the people of Queens and the Bronx.”
Will she face the same criticism lobbed at President Donald Trump for his words about the press? Probably not.
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