NYC Council bill would bar mayor’s team from unilaterally changing City Hall press room access

A City Council measure being introduced Thursday would barroom Mayor Adams’ bureau from unilaterally limiting the magnitude of abstraction idiosyncratic quality outlets tin instrumentality up successful the City Hall property country — a determination that has the imaginable to rotation backmost a arguable media entree policy implemented by the mayor’s squad this summer.

The bill, penned by Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan, would dictate that entree to Room 9, the storied abstraction wherever City Hall reporters work, cannot beryllium altered unless specified changes are “made with the associated support of the politician and the talker of the Council,” according to a transcript of the authorities provided to the Daily News up of its introduction.

Brannan’s measurement proposes that rule-making modular beryllium retroactive from this past June 30 — the time earlier the mayor’s squad imposed the caller Room 9 policy.

Under that policy, media outlets person lone been allowed to usage 1 table each successful Room 9. Before that policy, The News and different outlets with respective reporters assigned to screen City Hall had aggregate desks each successful the room.

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Barry Williams for New York Daily News

The measure was penned by Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

Adams and Fabien Levy, his spokesman, person said the caller restrictions guarantee assemblage and taste media outlets are guaranteed abstraction successful Room 9 and that the argumentation really expands property access.

A spokesperson for Council Speaker Adrienne Adams successful June questioned that argument, saying that “as acold arsenic we know, Room 9 is not afloat and is disposable for usage by immoderate writer who wishes to utilize it.” Should determination beryllium a request for much property access, the Adrienne Adams rep said astatine the clip the Council was consenting to enactment with the mayor’s broadside to find much abstraction successful the building.

Speaking to The News this week, Brannan sided with the statement from the speaker’s bureau and noted his measure besides requires that determination beryllium “adequate space” successful Room 9 for moving journalists and that “additional space” successful City Hall tin beryllium designated for reporters arsenic request be. He besides confirmed that if his measure is adopted, the mayor’s Room 9 restrictions would request sign-off from the speaker, fixed the retroactive nature.

“The medication doesn’t ain City Hall oregon Room 9 — the radical do,” Brannan said.

Adams spokesperson Fabien Levy said the mayor’s bureau volition reappraisal Brannan’s measure “if and erstwhile it is introduced.”

Levy besides reiterated his statement that the caller Room 9 argumentation is expanding property access: “More outlets and reporters are present capable to screen their metropolis authorities straight from City Hall, including outlets that person historically been near retired of Room 9 that talk to divers communities crossed the city.”

Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News

Mayor Eric Adams astatine a City Hall property conference. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)

Adams, since taking bureau successful 2022, has lamented what helium sees arsenic unfair sum of his administration. On occasion, helium has besides criticized the deficiency of radical diverseness successful the City Hall property corps.

The caller Room 9 restrictions came aft months of headlines astir national corruption investigations ensnaring his administration. Since then, national prosecutors have indicted Adams connected transgression charges alleging helium solicited bribes and amerciable run contributions from Turkish authorities operatives successful speech for governmental favors. He has pleaded not blameworthy and is dismissing calls for him to resign.

In warring the charges, Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, has accused the feds of selectively leaking info to media outlets astir their lawsuit against the mayor.

Amid the ineligible troubles, much than a twelve apical Adams advisers embroiled successful the corruption probes have resigned successful the past month.