A note from the editors:
There was significant confusion surrounding a press conference Thursday morning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan regarding a long-term solution to Juneau’s glacial lake outburst floods. KTOO did not livestream it due to a last minute request from the senator’s office to embargo the information.
We understand this confused many people in the community so we wanted to explain what happened.
Sullivan’s office emailed reporters on Wednesday afternoon with details about a virtual media availability happening on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. The email said the senator and Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, would “discuss commitments to a long-term solution” to Juneau’s annual glacial lake outburst flooding. It asked reporters to RSVP.
Following the emailed invitation, KTOO staff discussed the possibility of livestreaming the media availability and quickly decided we would. Staff worked on getting everything ready and, later that afternoon, posted on social media that the livestream would happen.
KTOO has a history of reporting on the glacial lake outburst floods as well as livestreaming press conferences on public safety issues. As part of our mission to connect the community to trusted news, we want to provide information in a timely, accessible manner. Livestreaming press conferences where important public safety information is being shared allows the public immediate access to that information, getting it at the same time reporters do.
On Thursday morning, two hours before the media availability, the senator’s office sent an email to media who RSVPed asking that information from the call be temporarily withheld from publishing, also known as “embargoed.”
“Sorry about the confusion,” the email said, “but we ask that information you get during the press call will be embargoed until 9:00 a.m. AKDT Friday, August 7.”
It is normal and standard practice for newsrooms to handle sensitive and embargoed information from written statements, like a press release, or exclusive interviews.
However, in our experience, it is unusual for press conferences to be embargoed, and for the embargo to be issued after invitations were sent.
Still, with short notice, KTOO pivoted. We did not livestream the press availability. We updated our social media post to let the public know. We fielded calls about why the livestream was not happening. As was already planned, KTOO Climate and Environment Reporter Alix Soliman attended the virtual press availability. She also recorded it.
Following the virtual event, Alix reached out to Sullivan’s office over email to ask why the information from the press call was embargoed. A spokesperson for the senator’s office apologized and told KTOO the Corps will publish a press release on Friday. The spokesperson said the confusion was due to a “staff mess up.”
KTOO plans to publish a story about what Sullivan and Telle discussed on Friday morning, when the embargo has been lifted, and will include a video recording of the press availability.
