Alabama Reporter Hurdles: In a twist of events, municipal citations against Hank Sanders, a Daily Southtown reporter covering Calumet City, were dropped by officials on Monday. The Chicago Tribune reported this reversal, happening after the city of 35,000, located 24 miles south of Chicago, mailed citations to Sanders, alleging “interference/hampering of city employees.”
Sanders had reported online and in print on Oct. 19 and 20, respectively, that consultants had warned Calumet City officials about their stormwater facilities’ poor condition before September’s historic rains led to flooding.
City officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones, complained that Sanders continued to contact employees for comments, leading to the citations. However, Calumet City attorney Patrick K. Walsh dismissed the citations in a letter to a Tribune lawyer on Monday.
Tribune Executive Editor Mitch Pugh expressed relief, stating they are glad that “cooler heads prevailed.” Pugh emphasized their support for journalists’ rights and pledged to remain vigilant in observing how city officials treat reporters.
In his letter, Walsh acknowledged the right of city employees to refuse to speak with Sanders but recognized that Sanders may not have been harassing anyone. The letter suggested Sanders direct inquiries to the suburb’s spokesperson and ended with well wishes for his career.
Sanders returned to reporting on Monday, marking the resolution of the recent First Amendment conflict. This incident follows the arrest of an Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter last week and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher’s home in Kansas, both involving disputes with local authorities.
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