Dear Reader, How to win a First Amendment Award in journalism, in four easy steps:
“I started to notice. ...”
“I kept asking questions. …”
“We began to request records. …”
“It didn’t really sit well with me.”
That sequence of actions led MLive reporter Brad Devereaux to uncover a pattern of “subquorum” meetings held in private by the Kalamazoo City Commission for years. His reporting has led to changes in the commission’s practice, and last week, it won Devereaux the First Amendment Award from the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors.
That is the contest’s most prestigious award, because it underscores the fundamental reason why our profession is the only one enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. In a functioning democracy, the people need access to the workings of their government, and transparency from those governing them.
MLive has grown its statewide reporting reach, and audience that reads it, since we combined our web and print operations in 2012. And in the past year, with the unprecedented confluence of a pandemic, racial equity protests and a tumultuous presidential election, the relevance of our reporting and analysis has grown significantly.
But our roots remain in day-to-day watchdog reporting in our eight traditional local markets: Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Saginaw. Every day, in a routine that has gone back 150 years or more, our reporters read agendas, attend meetings, ask questions.
Devereaux’s very good at in; in fact, he won the same award five years ago when he was working at The Saginaw News. But how he approaches the job is standard practice for MLive reporters across Michigan.
“I was trying to get my footing on the beat … as time went on I started to notice a little bit of talk about these other meetings that I really didn't know (about),” Devereaux recalled on MLive’s Behind the Headlines podcast this week.
“Every once in a while, a commissioner would say, ‘Well, we talked about this at our small group meetings and we had a really good conversation.’ That was just enough to make me think, ‘Why are they having these other private conversations?”
Devereaux pressed the issue with city leaders, who said their attorneys had assured them they were on solid legal footing. In fact, the practice had been going on for decades. Nothing to see here, right?
Well, there’s an old saying in our profession that “If your Mom says she loves you, check it out.”
Devereaux interviewed a legal expert who said the meetings likely violated the state’s Open Meetings Act. In fact, orientation sessions for incoming commissioners instructed them on the ins and outs of these subquorum meetings.
Devereaux said he was given “conflicting information” about what was being discussed in the private sessions, so he used the Freedom of Information Act to request documents. He found the commission had been discussing all kinds of controversial topics outside of the public’s view, and kept no minutes of their actions.
“For a really good reporter like Brad to come along and sniff that out … exemplifies why journalism matters at a local level,” said Mickey Ciokajlo, the editor who oversees all local news for MLive. “The city still pushes back on a legal front. I'm not a lawyer. Brad's not a lawyer … but it doesn't pass the smell test.
“They're doing the people's business behind closed doors, and by Brad exposing that, that has resulted in change.”
In January, city leaders announced they would suspend the closed meetings for six months, and hold “committee of the whole” deliberations on a trial basis. It’s a novel concept – transparency – and we hope it catches on in Kalamazoo and across Michigan.
But don’t worry: Either way, Devereaux will be checking back at the end of six months, asking questions and pursuing information for the sake of his readers. That’s what we do. * Note to readers of our e-editions, which are electronic replicas of the printed newspapers: If you have noticed changes to the reading format or navigation, you’re spot on: We are rolling out a new technological platform. Our papers in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Flint and Muskegon all are in the new format; Ann Arbor, Jackson and Bay City will be converted in the next week. For an explanation on the changes, and a tutorial on how to navigate your new editions, please watch this video. # # #
🎧 To listen to this week's episode of “Behind the Headlines” on how we uncovered Kalamazoo's secret meetings, click here. To listen on Spotify, click here.
Editor's note: I value your feedback to my columns, story tips and your suggestions on how to improve our coverage. Let me know how MLive helps you, and how we can do better. Please feel free to reach out by emailing me at editor@mlive.com.
John Hiner Executive Editor Vice President of Content Mlive Media Group
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