Environmental Protection Agency officials and reporters clashed again on Wednesday over media access after an event hosted by the EPA was closed to all press.
Politico reported Wednesday that it and other news outlets were not permitted to enter and cover an event in Washington, D.C., related to toxic chemicals.
“We believe it is important that the news media have access to the entirety of this discussion to keep the public informed with fact-driven, accountability coverage of this important issue,” Politico Editor-in-Chief Carrie Budoff Brown said in a statement. “We would much rather be writing about the agency’s efforts to address this health problem than about reporters being excluded.”
The EPA is hosting a National Leadership Summit “to address Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” toxins that have affected some communities’ drinking water.
A spokesperson for the EPA said the summit’s second day of events was not open to any media.
On Tuesday, a reporter for the Associated Press said she was physically removed by security from an event featuring EPA chief Scott Pruitt when she attempted to enter and was turned away. Reporters with CNN and E&E News, which covers energy and environment issues, were also turned away from the event. The EPA said that the event had been at capacity.
