Media barred from meetings

UNM President David Schmidly is banning media presence at any meetings between his office and (un)Occupy protesters.

Representatives from the movement met with the president behind closed doors Wednesday, as they did for the first meeting between protesters and the president on Oct. 26.

Schmidly barred the media despite requests from protester and UNM Peace Studies Professor Desi Brown that media be present at the meetings.

The president said allowing media presence would hamper the conversation.

“We’re not going to let any media in here,” he said. “Sebastian (Pais), you and I need to have a conversation.”

Pais said he disagreed.

“These meetings need to be open to the media so that the public can know what is going on,” he said.

Pais said the media would help hold the administration accountable.

Schmidly and Pais met with the media after the meeting to offer comments.

“I don’t think it’s a media event; that’s not a media event that took place in there,” Schmidly said. “That was a discussion with a group about how we could proceed with a peaceable assembly, and afterwards (the media) have had access to them and access to me, and I think that’s an appropriate response.”

Schmidly said no media will be allowed in future meetings with protesters.

Sarah Welsh, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said the president is not required to open the meetings to the public because he is not a public body.