Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley recently removed another well-known reporter from her media list..David Staples from the Edmonton Journal was removed from the list. That means Staples no longer receives Alberta NDP media releases with the pass codes or numbers to dial in to ask questions to the opposition leader via phone.. David StaplesDavid Staples works for the Edmonton Journal. It is ran by Postmedia. ."I am unable to easily monitor NDP events in real-time so I can’t tweet about them as news and might miss them before deadline," Staples told the Western Standard on Thursday.."I have to pester colleagues on their list to send me all notices, but this is a bother to them and does not always work.".Staples said he believes politicians all pick and choose to whom they speak to some extent.."Question is: just how much do they shut down opposing views," Staples said.."But Notley is free to block me, not talk to me, and not have me on their list. Free country. What bugs me is when she adopts a holier than thou attitude about transparency and openness when the NDP fail to walk that talk.".Staples said he was told by the Alberta NDP they would not give him one-on-one interviews with NDP MLAs, However, Staples admitted the NDP still answer specific questions by email.."I have been allowed to ask a few questions at press conferences online," Staples said.."They are within their rights not to give me a one-on-one interview, of course. Free country. They can do as they will. They can also not take my questions at press conferences, but they do, and they are free to only answer by email. I am good with whatever strategy they have, so long as I'm free to write what I think is best for Albertans.".On Thursday morning, Notley joined Shaye Ganam on the radio via Edmonton’s 630 CHED and QR77 Calgary.."I think it really is important that during an election campaign a politician does make themselves available to the media answers question... I do think that, you know, when you apply for jobs, you need to show up for the interview," Notley said on the radio.."Now, I don't know honestly about the columnist (reporter) you're referring to. There's no columnist in Edmonton that we've said we won't speak to.".Notley then claimed, "in fact, we're quite open to."."It is true, however, for sure that there is one media organization that is very conservative," Notley said..The Western Standard has also been taken off Notley's media list. But the WS is silenced at Alberta NDP press conferences, unlike Staples.."That one media organization, however, is that a very short time ago, writing a couple of columns that amount to hate speech, and it was directed at one of our MLAs and it was designed to incite hate against her on the basis of her so much you're going to have to retract it," Notley said..The Western Standard attended Notley's press conference at UA Local 488 in Edmonton on Wednesday. Before Notley began speaking, the WS was asked to stop recording and taken aside by party official Cheryl Oates..Oates explained, as she asked the camera be turned off, that the WS would not be allowed to ask questions because of "hate speech" in the past..WS reporter Shaun Polczer tried to ask Notley a question at a Thursday press conference in Calgary, but Notley walked away saying "I don't think so.".No proof of this "hate speech" has ever been given to the WS from the Alberta NDP.
