el Don /SANTA ANA COLLEGE • MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014/eldonnews.org
NEWS
PRESIDENTS ACT AS PRESS OFFICERS
Some administrators expressed concerns that pub- began to take on that role.
licizing the scholarship could cast a negative light on
Martinez’s only formal training is a media rethe college at a time when immigration was being
lations workshop she attended while working at
nationally debated.
West-Valley Mission Community College District.
The request came about three months after the
“You’ve lost a professional expert and [replaced
story went viral. Politicians questioned whether a
them with] those who are not familiar with the mepublic college should be using tax dollars to reward
dia, … the news cycle or community outreach,” said
non-citizens. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, Trustee Arianna Barrios, who also owns Communitold Martinez in a letter that the college risked loscations LAB, an OC-based public relations firm. “Is
ing its federal funding.
that a position we should fill? That would be ideal.
“Their interest and good intentions could re-ignite When you have a pro, they do know the law.”
a fire that we worked arduously to put out,” SAC
Public relations, Barrios says, is one of the areas
Vice President of Student Services Sara Lundquist
the district has struggled with in recent years.
wrote in an Aug. 3 email. “Let’s hold until Erlinda
When public agencies omit information and pro[Martinez] has a chance to weigh in on the risks
vide partial data, reporters are given little choice but
and benefits.”
to trust them, Cabrera said.
After Laurie Weidner, the district’s former exec“The issue with data is that you make a request
utive director of public affairs and governmental
and expect them [public agencies] to be forthright,
relations denied the request, she asked for an update and if they’re not it’s very difficult to ascertain that,”
on the scholarship for media inquiries.
Cabrera said.
“Simply tell them that the Tam Tran Memorial
Unless a request is made through the California
Scholarship will be awarded in the spring of 2011
Public Records Act, “public officials do not have to
for the 2011-2012 academic year,” Lundquist wrote.
answer questions at all,” UC Irvine law school Dean“No further details are available at this time. That is
Erwin Chemerinsky said in an email.
my two cents.”
“What is legal isn’t always ethical,” Lambiase said.
Despite Lundquist’s response, Iannaccone showed
The media policy goes beyond denying interview
reservations about not granting the request.
requests and access to information.
“What I struggle with in general is that as a public
Classified employees and faculty are consistently
institution, transparency is key. Of course, we can
warned about speaking to reporters.
and will wait for Erlinda’s return,” Iannaccone wrote.
Media law experts say it could be a violation of
When reporters request records, college presidents First Amendment rights.
at public institutions are obligated to share as much
“Citizens do not surrender their First Amendment
information as possible, Lambiase said.
rights by becoming government employees. The
Institutions that receive public funds need to be
First Amendment is binding on public institutions,”
held accountable, “even if that accountability causes
Leila Knox, an associate of the First Amendment
critics to go ballistic,” Lambiase said.
Coalition specializing in media law said in an email.
In what Iannaccone describes as “crisis commuIn a 2007 email, Iannaccone asked college emnication situations,” college administrators become
ployees not to speak to reporters after el Don broke
more involved in media requests. Those situations
a story about the campus’ faulty fire alarm system.
arise anytime they anticipate negative press.
Employees say it has since become established as an
“They’re the college presidents and they are the
“unofficial policy.”
senior administrators at their institutions … they
“We advise that you not enter into a conversation
do make the decisions that go with that leadership
with the media should they call you directly … in
position,” Iannaccone said. “I work to support
concert with the President’s office, we will determine
their needs.”
the best spokespersons for each request,” IannacIannaccone acts as a liaison between college
cone’s email states.
presidents and reporters. She says she can release
Iannaccone, Winter and Martinez deny knowledge
information, but typically informs college presidents of the policy.
of inquiries.
“I know of no policy … I’ve never restrained any“I can’t be over here making a decision that the col- one from speaking,” Martinez said, explaining that
lege president is not on board with. That would be
the policy which safety officers have continuously
absolutely inappropriate,” Iannaccone said.
cited may stem from a loose precedent set in place
College presidents are not trained press relations
at another time. “I’m unaware of the origin, and can’t
officers, but when budget cuts forced layoffs, they
speak to the history or depth of it.”
Martinez was SAC’s president when el Don broke
a story about the college’s faulty fire alarm system
in 2007 that drew national attention, prompting
Iannaccone’s email admonishing employees from
speaking to reporters.
Iannaccone says the move is “standard operating
protocol” at large corp