Biden’s Press Office Apologizes After Staffer Made Student Reporter Delete Photos

Vice President Joe Biden‘s press secretary Kendra Barkoff apologized after a staffer from the press office forced a student reporter to delete the photos he took at an event in Rockville, Maryland. The apology came after a formal complaint was filed.

Jeremy Barr, a Capital News Service reporter and student at the University of Maryland, College Park, covered an event about domestic violence that Biden, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder and Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, attended. (Capital News Service is a student-run service operated by the university.)

There a staffer told him to delete his photos because he was standing in a non-press area. The staffer proceeded to watch to ensure he deleted the photos, according to Barr. “I assumed that I’d violated a protocol,” he said. “I gave her the benefit of the doubt that she was following proper procedures.”

He added that he wasn’t aware he was in a non-press area because he “didn’t see any demarcation that would have designated a press entrance versus a general entrance.” Lucy A. Dalglish, dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, deemed the incident “pure intimidation.”

Dalglish said Barkoff apologized both to her and the reporter, stressing that it was “total miscommunication.” While an apology “goes a long way,” Dalglish said Barr has the right to sue.

Barkoff issued the following statement to POLITICO:

“It is our policy that all of our open press events are open press even if a reporter is not in the designated press area,” Barkoff wrote in an email. “This was an unfortunate mistake by a staffer who does not regularly interact with the press. Once we learned about it I immediately apologized to the Dean of the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, the reporter involved and to the newspaper. It will never happen again.”

Barr said the incident was “unfortunate,” but was glad the situation was resolved.

(h/t CNS)