GUEST EDITORIAL: Transparency requires talking to the press

All of us should know what our government is up to. Our democracy depends on government transparency and skilled journalists who investigate and report on government officials and their actions. Here in the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho metro area, we are fortunate to have multiple local journalists and media outlets. But public records show that some Rio Rancho city officials are deliberately keeping journalists and the public in the dark.

As journalists across the United States face increasing attacks on press freedom, some Rio Rancho officials have shut out local journalists, preventing New Mexicans from receiving timely local news. Public records reveal that Rio Rancho held no press conferences in 2024. At times, Rio Rancho officials have flat-out refused to answer journalists’ questions or grant interviews. Journalists have also been instructed by Rio Rancho officials not to speak directly with certain city employees when gathering news about community events such as a memory screening that took place at the library, or a Christmas tree recycling event last January. At other times, officials have instructed journalists to submit formal public records requests through the Inspection of Public Records Act (“IPRA”) instead of simply providing timely information in response to basic requests. By requiring journalists to use IPRA, city officials can delay the release of information up to two weeks, and sometimes longer. This cumbersome process interrupts and delays the flow of critical news to Rio Rancho residents.

More troublingly, at least one Rio Rancho government official, Deputy City Manager Peter Wells, appears to have retaliated against journalists for critical news coverage. In one public record — a January 2024 email exchange between Wells and KOAT — the station asked to interview Rio Rancho Police Chief Stewart Steele, providing questions in advance in writing to Wells. Wells refused to schedule an interview with Steele or Mayor Gregg Hull. “Based on the nature of the questions, and concerns we have with KOAT’s past reporting/coverage of the Rio Rancho Police Department,” Wells wrote, “the department will not schedule personnel to be interviewed for this program.”

Wells’s email raises serious First Amendment concerns. In denying KOAT an interview based on “concerns” with the station’s “past reporting,” Wells appears to have punished the KOAT journalists for their constitutionally protected speech.

Rio Rancho residents deserve greater transparency from their local government. Local government officials must recognize that critical news coverage is not something to be feared or tamped down. Rather, it is a sign of a healthy democracy. We urge Rio Rancho to openly communicate with journalists and hold regular press conferences, helping to ensure that Rio Rancho residents have timely information about local events.

And all Rio Rancho officials must abide by the First Amendment, which protects newsgathering and prohibits retaliation against journalists for critical news coverage.

In the months since the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government first requested records about Rio Rancho government communications with local journalists, we have heard anecdotal reports from journalists that government officials’ communications and transparency have slightly improved. These improvements are a good first step. But more sustained change is needed. Rio Rancho officials must commit to ongoing transparency and recognize that an informed public — not a controlled narrative — strengthens both local governance and community trust.

New Mexico’s skilled local journalists play a crucial role in shining light on our state and local governments. They hold officials accountable, expose corruption, and ensure residents have the information they need to participate in democracy. When government officials obstruct journalists’ work, they obstruct the public’s right to know. Rio Rancho residents — and all New Mexicans — deserve better.