When Mayor de Blasio’s office first moved his public schedule for Thursday, it listed two very different events, both open to the press: The weigh-in for the Nathan’s Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at City Hall, and the Ramadan Iftar Dinner 2014 at Gracie Mansion.
A short time ago, the press team re-sent Hizzoner’s schedule with an update: No reporters at the Ramadan gathering. No reason given.
I asked de Blasio Press Secretary Phil Walzak about the changeup. He quickly apologized via email for the “confusion,” and said the dinner “was always designed to be closed, but was erroneously listed as open last nite on the sked due to an internal miscommunication.”
My obvious next question (and maybe yours): Why bar the press in the first place?
Walzak described the occasion, a traditional breaking of the fast, as “solemn.”
He said reporters are barred because “it is a sit-down dinner and there also is a praying portion.
“Last year and the year before this event was closed press — it historically has always been closed.”
Actually, no, not always. There was plenty of press coverage of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s hosting of the annual dinner in 2010.
Since we are not permitted to enter (this time), a little more detail from Walzak: “There are 150 attending tonight, many of whom have been fasting. This includes religious leaders, community leaders, elected officials, and members of Administration.”
Naturally it’s not unheard of for these schedules to change. I note it here because:
a) Regardless of the event, it is always important to stay abreast of what the government would like to allow the media to see and not see;
b) We’ve written a lot about how de Blasio’s shop has handled its relations with the media (including Walzak himself, ICYMI). De Blasio, after taking heat for not disclosing some of his speaking appearances, said he would provide the press with transcripts of his remarks in the future. (Just Wednesday, the mayor spoke at a closed-press fundraiser for the state Senate Democrats. So far, no transcript, per our Erin Durkin);
c) The intersection of government and religion -- any government, any religion -- is worth watching and has been an issue for the de Blasio Administration on many fronts.