In the middle of the race baiting accusations that the John McCain campaign was leveling towards Barack Obama, McCain & Co. apparently got caught in a race flap of their own making.
Last Friday
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price was singled out and
asked to leave a media area at a Panama City rally for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Price was the
lone black reporter among the media in the area at the rally on Friday and was among at least three other reporters surrounding McCain's campaign bus when a member of the Arizona senator's security detail asked the reporter to identify himself. Price showed his employee identification as well as his credentials for the Friday event.
According to Price:
"I explained I was with the state press, but the Secret Service man said that didn't matter and that I would have to go."
Price said he could think of no other reason why he was approached other than his race. He had earlier shown his media credentials to gain access to the area, and that he was there for several minutes before being removed.
When another reporter, Dara Kam of the Palm Beach Post came to Price's defense, she too was led out of the area. The other two state reporters, Alex Leary of the
St. Petersburg Times and Marc Caputo of
The Miami Herald, weren't removed.
Caputo said initially he also was told he had to leave the area. In an e-mail to The
Associated Press he stated:
"Security was tight and was a bit over-controlling, which is par for the course at these events. And, as par for the course, I tried to get near the candidate when I saw another reporter there. Security tried to throw me out, but I found a McCain staffer I knew and the person vouched for me."
Price obviously had no such good fortune. The other reporter Caputo speaks of was Alex Leary who said nobody questioned why he was in the area. He added that he didn't see the exchange Price had with security.
Tallahassee Democrat Executive Editor Bob Gabordi said the incident was unwarranted:
"We're deeply concerned and disturbed that our reporter — of all of those in that area — was asked to move. My understanding is that Stephen was the only reporter approached and asked to leave the area, and the only reporter in that area who is black. Another reporter who stood up for Stephen was then asked to leave."
Jonathan Block does advance work for McCain's campaign. He was in Panama City on Friday but was not present when Price was asked to move from a restricted area. Block said the area where Price was standing was restricted to members of the traveling national press corps that accompanies McCain on the campaign trail. He Stated:
"Access to the senator is tightly controlled. I would first express regret that your reporter was moved, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that race had nothing to do with it. At the end of the day, your reporter was in the wrong place. I do not know why the other reporters were not moved. The rest of the local press should have been moved as well.”
However the McCain campaign still has not supplied a definitive alternate explanation. The campaign advance man said there were many reasons that could have prompted Price being asked to move, depending on how visible his press identification was, whether he had a bag and possibly information about McCain's movement, which could have prompted the security person to move people in one area and not in another.
"It's really like a pressure cooker with security,"
Block said.
The incident has garnered plenty of attention since, with Price appearing on radio and cable news shows. Price ultimately received an personal
apology from McCain's campaign Tuesday evening. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers called Price and apologized on behalf of the campaign.
According to Price Rogers said:
"We feel terrible about it.”
and told him
“McCain would call him personally in the next few days.”
Price added:
"I accept the apology. I definitely wish I was never singled out. I came up there to do a story, that's all I wanted to do is write a story. It was just a really crazy situation. We were being carted out of there and everyone was looking."
Gabordi said the response was appropriate.
"It's the right thing for the McCain campaign to do. Our issue remains with the Secret Service agent. His actions are still a problem. The senator's campaign has done the right thing and we appreciate that."
He adds that he has sought an explanation from the McCain campaign and hasn't received one. He keeps going over the facts and he hasn't found a reason except that Price is black.
"I'm upset because my reporter was singled out for whatever reason. That bothers me. We're just trying to figure out what that reason was." - Bob Gabordi
Gabordi also said he doesn't think McCain would condone what happened.
"I think it was about security and security acting overzealous and security singling out a black reporter to be removed. That's not giving him (McCain) a pass on it. I think his campaign does have an obligation to figure out what happened and to make sure it doesn't happen again."
