Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

CNN Reporter Figures Out Ingenious Work-Around After GOP Candidate Tried To Ban Media From Event

CNN Reporter Figures Out Ingenious Work-Around After GOP Candidate Tried To Ban Media From Event
Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; @KyungLahCNN/Twitter

What can journalists do when political campaigns hold rallies "open to the public" then ban all media?

Get creative.


That's exactly what CNN correspondent Kyung Lah and photojournalist Ronnie McCray Jr. did when the campaign of Republican state senator, Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial frontrunner and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist Doug Mastriano barred them from attending hus public rally.

As Lah wrote for CNN:

"In a sign of how siloed our information sources have become, midterm campaigns, many of them Republican, are widely shutting out local papers, local TV stations and national reporters."
"In Pennsylvania, we spoke with leading gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s campaign because we were planning to attend a rally in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The rally was advertised as free and open to the public, with registration."
"The campaign instructed us to register, saying there was no separate media registration, but upon our arrival, we were told no media would be allowed.”

So Lah and McCray booked a room with a balcony that overlooked the hotel poolside rally.

Lah added:

“The campaign sent two security guards who threatened to remove us from the room. But since the hotel allowed us to stay, we were within our right to observe a large event that everyone in the hotel could see.”
“This behavior is part and parcel to how the Mastriano campaign has excluded local reporters."

You can see the report McCray and Lah captured here:

youtu.be

Lah also shared the duo's experience on Twitter.

Complete with a balcony selfie, the CNN correspondent tweeted:

"Why am I, [with CNN photojournalist Ronnie McCray Jr], on this balcony?"
"This is [Doug Mastriano]'s rally in Uniontown, [Pennsylvania]."
"The campaign said we could attend, then said no press allowed."
"So... I rented this room with a balcony just so we could cover a leading contender for [Pennsylvania governor] with the primary 1 week away."

She added:

"Mastriano's campaign threatened to kick us out, saying they controlled all the space in the hotel."
"Not so."
"They were unhappy we stayed."
"Why do this?"
"[Because] independent press needs to see what your future government reps want to do."


Mastriano garnered national attention both through his push to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and protests he organized against public health protocols during the pandemic.

Mastriano adheres to Christian nationalism which is the notion God created the United States to be a Christian—preferably White—nation. As part of his beliefs, the Republican state senator supported legislation to require teaching the Bible in public schools and to allow adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples.

But Mastriano—who spent most of the COVID-19 lockdowns trying to get in front of cameras—is taking extraordinary measures to keep the press at bay. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mastriano's campaign printed photos of journalists in order to prevent their attendance at his events.

Knowing what he says during his "Bible-centric" campaign is of public concern.




Although some couldn't help but notice the size of Mastriano's rally crowd.

Prior to the pandemic, Mastriano wasn't well known even in Pennsylvania.

He spent most of his time posting Islamaphobic memes and conspiracy theories on social media. But his many demonstrations against any public health recommendations gained him notoriety.

He parlayed that into a following who he preached Christian White nationalism to until the 2020 election. Then he went all in on the Big Lie and the Stop The Steal campaign, telling his followers he'd spoken with President Donald Trump at least 15 times from the night of Trump's election loss until the January 6 Capitol riot.

Mastriano encouraged people to attend Trump's January 6 rally.

He told his followers:

“I’m really praying that God will pour His Spirit upon Washington, D.C., like we’ve never seen before."

How many of the religious zealots or White nationalists who stormed the Capitol were there at the behest of Mastriano is unclear, but 64 Pennsylvanians were arrested and 62 charged in connection with their actions during the riot.

More from Trending

Joe Biden; Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (left and right)

Side-By-Side Photos Of Biden's Oval Office Compared To Trump's Oval Office Go Viral—And Wow

The latest viral photos out of the White House offer a peek inside the Oval Office under former President Joe Biden compared to under President Donald Trump, showcasing the stark difference between the two given Trump's obsession with wealth and opulence.

On Monday, the White House posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, framed by gold decor, ornate picture frames, and other lavish touches.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tom Emmer; Donald Trump
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Just Gave President Trump A NSFW Nickname With 'Freudian Slip' For The Ages

Minnesota Republican Representative Tom Emmer was widely mocked after he nearly called President Donald Trump "President c*nt" before catching himself while speaking at a National Republican Congressional Committee dinner on Tuesday.

Emmer, the House Majority Whip, made the blunder in front of GOP donors who shelled out as much as $300,000 to attend the dinner. According to House Republicans Campaign Chair Richard Hudson, the committee pulled in $35.2 million leading up to the event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Back shot of five young, carefree female friends stand in a field of tall sunflowers clasp hands and raise their arms to the sky.
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

Unbothered People Explain How They Became Immune To A-Holes

Being able to walk away from toxic people is a skill.

Too many of us have wasted too much time in life on people who drag us down.

Keep ReadingShow less
parents holding child's hands
Nienke Burgers on Unsplash

Times People Realized Their Parents Weren't Who They Thought They Were

Some kids grow up with an inflated perception of their parents. They see them as infallible heros.

These kids are usually in for a very rude awakening.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov
10 News First/YouTube

American YouTuber Arrested After Sneaking Onto Remote Island And Leaving Diet Coke For Uncontacted Tribe

24-year-old YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested after making contact with one of the world's last uncontacted tribes, making the perilous and ill-advised journey to North Sentinel Island and leaving a coconut and a can of Diet Coke on the beach as a gift to the Sentinelese.

Polyakov, 24, arrived at the northeastern shore of North Sentinel Island at 10 a.m. on March 29, according to police reports. He used binoculars to survey the land but saw no one. He then climbed ashore, leaving behind a Diet Coke and a coconut, took sand samples, and recorded a video, the authorities said.

Keep ReadingShow less