Town officials in Arizona remove press table from council chamber

A press table in the council chamber for the town of Fountain Hills, Arizona, was removed in April 2025 in apparent retaliation for reporting by a local newspaper.

Councilmember Rick Watts requested the removal of the designated press table from the chambers, citing what he described as “partisan” reporting by the Fountain Hills Times Independent.

Following a public council meeting about the town’s fire department budget, the Times Independent published a story April 9 with a headline that Watts told the Arizona Republic was oversimplified.

Vice Mayor Hannah Larrabee, who the Republic reported has expressed ongoing concerns about the outlet’s reporting since taking office, also supported the removal of the press table.

“Frankly, I am fed up with the Times’ partisan reporting and think it is time to remove the corner ‘reporters’ table,” Watts wrote in an email to Town Manager Rachael Goodwin.

“If the Times personnel cannot act and report in a factual, nonpartisan manner, without resorting to sensational headlines, reporting on the council and various commissions without obvious bias,” she added, “then I see no reason for providing any special seating accommodation.”

While reporters are not banned from council meetings entirely, the press table commonly reserved for the Times Independent is no longer there, and its reporters are now expected to sit with the audience.

Larrabee also wrote to Goodwin, “I do not wish to further encourage unbalanced reporting, and I believe it is best if the Times Independent sits with the audience to allow for more chairs in that corner, making more room for the public.”

But Councilmember Brenda Kalivianakis asked about the missing press table at the May 6 council meeting, requesting a discussion about the change be held at a future meeting and added, “We’ve had a media table for as long as I could remember.”

Kalivianakis later argued in a May 28 op-ed published in the Times Independent, that the decision to remove the press table was a deliberate attempt to retaliate against the paper for what some councilmembers perceived as unfavorable reporting.

“Retaliation inherently has a chilling effect, making journalists and citizens hesitant to investigate controversial topics or criticize those in power,” Kalivianakis wrote. “If journalists are reluctant to report on sensitive topics, the people regrettably pay the price.”

Free press advocates and experts also weighed in on the press table removal.

“Local governments don’t have to roll out the red carpet for reporters. A physically designated space also isn’t required for Arizona local journalists to do their jobs,” Chris Kline, president and CEO of the Arizona Media Association and Arizona Local News Foundation, told the Arizona Republic. “But small actions like this can send a big message, and when that message is frustration with coverage, it risks eroding openness in government.”

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker reached out to Watts and Larrabee for comment but did not receive a response. The Times Independent did not respond to requests for comment.