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If you'd like to read the whole filing for our appeal, I've uploaded it here.

www.scribd.com/document/946...

I also have no idea what I need to do in order to receive a credential.

Representatives for the legislature could not answer any questions about what changes I could make to Utah Political Watch or steps I could take to meet the requirements, which seems quite unfair.

The suit also claims that the policy banning all independent media is too broad, especially when you consider that the White House is creating space for those kinds of outlets in its press room.

Why?

As the complaint alleges, they don't like what I report and wanted to punish me.

But, you can't deny that my journalism isn't impactful, given how strongly they react, both in public and private.

I've covered the legislature for more than 25 years, and easily obtained a press pass every year since the policy was implemented.

After I struck out on my own, the policy was changed to keep independent journalists out.

Curiously, I was the only reporter impacted by this change.

The legislature claims the rules ensure that professional and established members of the media maintain the access they need to do their jobs.

But, that means journalists who don't work for deep-pocketed corporate-owned organizations are excluded.

Because I have been denied a press credential, I am excluded from covering certain events in person.

It's reasonable to believe that, because of that, other reporters might modify their reporting for fear that they could be denied a credential if their reporting upsets lawmakers.

During their deposition, the media representatives for the legislature admitted it was very important to them that journalists be part of a corporate structure where they can be disciplined or fired.

Why?

So they can "have conversations" if there's a story they object to.

AFTER I filed my lawsuit, they invented a brand-new rule to explain why "independent" media like Utah Political Watch is excluded.

These standards are not mentioned anywhere in the rules, nor did they ask me any questions about whether I met these requirements.

They also couldn't define "independent media" and "blog," even though those types of media are prohibited from being credentialed to cover the legislature.

Additionally, the rules state that only reporters from "established" media outlets could get credentials.

What does "established" mean? 🤷‍♂️

They claim that the new policy creates concrete standards for who can be credentialed and who cannot, thus eliminating any discretion.

But, when questioned, they could not answer "yes" or "no" about how they would apply the rules in certain cases.

Last year, the legislature changed their policy for issuing media credentials to exclude "blogs" and "independent media."

Our lawsuit claims those changes were made specifically to target me and deny me a credential.

This is highlighted by the inconsistency in how they applied the rules.