Excessive penalty works against claimed openness When a man went to jump from a public gallery of Parliament this week, and was pulled back by people nearby, a Herald staffer in the press gallery took a photograph of the incident that was published on our website on Wednesday.
For that, our entire gallery staff have lost accreditation at Parliament for 10 days from Monday. We will find ways to report anything of pre-election interest during that time but without normal access, services or rights to cover select committees.
The Speaker, enforcer of Parliament's rules and procedures, is to blame for this rare restriction. He substantially over-reacted, claiming he wanted to preserve the House's openness, before tempering the ban yesterday in the wake of a media-wide outcry. Sadly, he had acted at the behest of a member of the press gallery, TV3 reporter Duncan Garner, whose network suffered a lesser penalty last year for filming former MP Chris Carter in breach of the rules.
News media normally find common cause in the public's right to know, and see, what happens in the corridors of power. Our rivals at the Dominion Post, for example, were quick yesterday to condemn the Herald ban and offer us support. All must work around Parliament's self-serving rule that allows cameras in the chamber only on tight conditions.
The incident on Wednesday was a serious one for the security of MPs. The man was well over the balustrade when he was restrained, as our picture showed. Cameras should be able to convey news of this nature if openness is truly the Speaker's goal.
