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Departure of Interior Spokesperson Decried
Editors, Reporters Call for 'Speedy' Return 
Former Department of Interior spokesperson Stephanie Hannah, shown in this undated file photo.(NSM)
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By Jim July
Tomorrow Staff Writer
Monday, February 18, 2002 Getting answers out of the Department of Interior has never been easy. Reporters at most major newspapers cringe in horror when assigned to cover the latest lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico or yet another environmental assessment affecting Yellowstone National Park. But those few hearty souls who have stuck it out over the years acknowledge that the past few months have proven more difficult than ever. Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's contempt trial, her announcement of a new Indian trust bureau and the Internet shutdown have complicated matters, editors and reporters told Indian Country Tomorrow at a recent media roundtable. "It's just gone downhill since October," said Bill "Allister" Crowley, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for The Denver Post. "I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hearing [spokesperson] Mark Pfeifle ramble on about the four C's." Although Crowley and others pointed to the trust fund debacle as having worsened the lines of communication, they tied their heartaches to another event. In early October, renowned Interior spokesperson Stephanie Hannah left Washington, D.C., to work for the department in Washington state. "After Stephanie left, I couldn't even get a call back from the department," said Matt Krelley of the Associated Press. "It was horrible." Krelley covered the department for years, filing stories as soon as former Secretary Bruce Babbitt so much as blew his nose. But he now reports on terrorism because "people in national security are more open and will tell you everything on background," he said. Todd York, content editor for Indianz.Com, gave a similar account of his experiences. "Before, you could just call up Stephanie and she would have an answer for everything, even if she didn't know what she was talking about," he said. "Now, if you call John Wright, you're lucky if he knows who Gale Norton is," he said. Even newcomers have noticed something is amiss. Jodi Rave All Night of The Lincoln Journal Star lamented the loss of Hannah, whom she never knew. "How am I supposed to finish my 36-piece series on the trust fund if [communications director] Eric Ruff can't even answer a simple question?" she wondered. "I might have to do some research or cultivate reliable sources or something crazy like that." Joined in solidarity by their complaints, a number of major news media wrote Norton a letter last week and asked for Hannah's "quick and speedy" return to central office. "Failing that, please let Ms. Hannah field questions from the press even if she doesn't know what's going on," wrote the editors and reporters from 12 organizations. "We're tired of writing 'Interior officials did not return repeated requests for comment' in our stories," the February 14 letter stated. "I'd probably miss her too, if I had ever talked to her," said ICT reporter Brian Takes-Any-Story. "Now, I just lift quotes and ideas from Indianz.Com, because no one reads them anyway." |
© 2001-2002 Indian Country Tomorrow
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