New York Press Club blasts Gov. Christie’s blacklist tactic

The New York Press Club is publicly criticizing Gov. Chris Christie and his staff for blacklisting New Jersey Watchdog. The journalists’ organization “expresses its outrage over the Christie administration’s apparent ‘blacklisting’ of New Jersey Watchdog, in an effort to prevent the news outlet from receiving press advisories and official announcements from the governor’s office,” Press Club President Larry Seary said.

The governor and his staff have offered no explanation for excluding the investigative news site from official communications.

“One may infer that, by suppressing information, the Christie administration may be attempting to hamper the efforts of New Jersey Watchdog’s efforts to cover political news,” said Seary. “It is ironic that Chris Christie claims to be a champion of open government while allowing his staff to deny access to public information, which is already available to other news outlets.” In response, the web site has resorted to Open Public Records Act requests in an effort to combat Christie’s selective government secrecy. Continue>>>
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