(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) In his op-ed, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Brandon McGinley claimed that the Harris–Walz campaign has continuously denied the newspaper’s reporters and photographers access to the campaign events, reportedly due to labor action within the company.
The Daily Caller reported that Harris and Walz began their bus tour in the battleground state of Georgia, kicking off their outreach to voters after the Democratic National Convention.
On Aug. 31, 2024, McGinley called out the Democratic campaign, claiming it has barred “Post-Gazette reporters from the veep announcement, from parts of the Democratic National Convention and (as of this writing) from all future events where they have the ability to control access.”
“It’s a form of political pandering at the expense of core democratic principles — exactly what the campaign claims to be fighting against in the Republican Party,” he wrote.
The news source reported that the barring from the campaign is connected to labor actions that began in October 2022, when a journalists’ strike erupted after a Teamsters unit, one of the largest labor unions in America, went on strike over the suspension of a legacy health care plan.
McGinley added that as negotiations continued, the union interfered with the newspaper’s reporting and persuaded Democrats to decline interviews with the outlet.
“Denying access to disfavored press as a favor to political allies, however, just further institutionalizes the new normal, where the application of all principles depends on whether you’re a friend or an enemy. Today, the Harris-Walz campaign considers the Post-Gazette to be its enemy, and it denies us the rights accorded to others. Tomorrow, who’s next?” McGinley wrote.
The largest labor union’s endorsement remains undecided as International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien declined on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sept. 1, 2024, to endorse Harris or Donald Trump. Even though the group has not endorsed a Republican president since 1988, O’Brien said that Harris will not receive their endorsement until a meeting determines their choice.
“You don’t hire someone unless you give them an interview. And you know, this is our opportunity to ask her about Teamster specific issues and also labor issues. So until we have that meeting, you know, obviously, we will wait to make that determination,” he said.
