Pritzker Bans AM 560's Jacobson from Daily Press Briefings, Claims She Isn't "Impartial"

Prairie State Wire ^ | May 19, 2020 | Editors

[PBRCat]

[A]fter she broke the news that his family was spending his statewide lockdown at an equestrian estate in Wisconsin, Governor J.B. Pritzker revoked longtime Chicago reporter Amy Jacobson’s access to his daily press briefing, claiming she is not an “impartial journalist.”

Jacobson, who co-hosts a morning talk show on AM 560, worked as a general assignment television reporter for WMAQ-TV Channel 5 (NBC) in Chicago from 1996-2007.

Jacobson was first to report that Pritzker’s wife and children, who have spent the last seven weeks at the family’s $12 million horse farm in Florida, had moved to another family horse farm in Wisconsin, just across the Illinois border.

“Gov. Pritzker has a 1,000 acre horse farm in Kenosha, WI,” she tweeted Friday. “That‘s where the family is tending to the animals tonight. You know, essential workers while the rest of us have been deemed ‘non essential.’”

Pritzker later admitted his wife and children weren’t in Illinois, but claimed they were “essential” to work on his Wisconsin farm, which he said has livestock.

(Pritzker's spokesman) criticized Jacobson for her attendance at a downtown Chicago rally on Saturday.

“This weekend you attended and spoke at a political rally to fire up the crowd in opposing the Governor’s policies to combat COVID-19. An impartial journalist would not have attended that rally in that capacity and therefore you will no longer be invited to participate as an impartial journalist."

Pritzker’s suggestion that he only allows “impartial” journalists to attend press briefings singled out Jacobson, but not other reporters whose public opinions have been supportive of his policies.

Rich Miller of Capitol Fax has been the state’s most prolific statehouse opinion writer and analyst for the past three decades. He’s a daily attendee of Pritzker’s press briefings— and a vocal supporter of the statewide lockdown.

[PhilCollins]

I’ll never forget about Proft’s governor campaign. After he lost that primary, I emailed him and asked him to run against Congressman Quigley, in 2012. I didn’t get a reply.

[usconservative]

I’ll never forget about Proft’s governor campaign.

What a disaster that was. I wonder if he'll do it again and if he'll be more aggressive this time.

[fieldmarshaldj]

He probably thought you were joking.

[Dave911]

I call.

[usconservative]

That's not even WIDESCREEN yet!