When 570 KVI radio host Ari Hoffman traveled to Olympia to cover the Washington State Legislature, he expected to do his job.
What he didn’t expect was to be turned away at the door — and told he wasn’t even a journalist.
Now, he’s fighting back in court, arguing that the legislature’s decision to deny him a press pass is a direct violation of the First Amendment.
“I was going down there anyway to do my show from down there where I talked to legislators and stuff. The Republicans were more than happy to have me. But I wanted to be able to go to press conferences and be able to see what was going on,” said Hoffman.
“The Democrats hold the press conferences in their wings, which is an area you need access to, and the Democrats don’t want people like me in their wings. So I applied for a press pass to go there so that if there were any press conferences that day or anything else going on, I could be on the floor.”
The denial didn’t come without explanation — but Hoffman found that explanation deeply troubling. The legislature’s argument wasn’t simply that he failed to meet some standard definition of a journalist. Instead, they took aim at his advocacy work, using it as justification to shut him out entirely.
“Their claim was that because I advocate for issues, then I don’t get to be a journalist. I am now some kind of lobbyist or advocate. And I said that’s ridiculous because papers like the Seattle Times do endorsements all the time. And talk about issues all the time. They literally have sections of their paper paid for by groups that have agendas. So to say that I advocated for an issue because I went and spoke at a few events is beyond ludicrous when you have the Seattle Times, which does this all the time,” Hoffman stated.
What makes the denial even more frustrating, Hoffman says, is how inconsistent it’s been. While the Democratic-controlled House has refused to grant him access, other offices haven’t had the same objections.
“People like me have applied for press passes from the Washington State Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats — they gave it. The governor’s office? They also gave it. But for whatever reason, the legislature — the House — is being very childish and saying, ‘No, we don’t want you there.’ The House speaker, Lori Jenkins, is the biggest problem,” the 570 KVI host shared.
The practical consequences of being denied a press pass go well beyond missing a few press conferences. Without access, Hoffman says accountability becomes nearly impossible. And officials know it. He’s watched elected leaders dodge his requests for comment for years at a time.
“The last mayor of Seattle did not get back to a single request for comment I had for four years. The governor of Washington has not responded to a single request for comment I’ve had for the entire year-plus he’s been in office. They can duck you. They can dodge you and not have to answer those questions. And then you have to go to public disclosure to get these documents, which can sometimes take months, if not years. I had one request that took me four years to get back,” commented Hoffman.
The local media landscape hasn’t helped matters. Ari Hoffman says that while fewer and fewer mainstream outlets are even bothering to staff the capitol, those that remain have largely sided with the legislature rather than defending press freedom.
“The Democrats in the Washington State legislature do not like being transparent. There are very good laws on the books regarding how open records things have to be in Washington. The Democrats have spent the past couple of years trying to find ways of using executive privilege to cover them up. What typically happens is they’ll see a post from somebody like me and go, ‘Oh, this story’s getting a lot of clicks. We should go cover it.’ It’s kind of sad. For the most part, a lot of people are not paying attention to the Washington State legislature,” Hoffman said.
Perhaps the sharpest edge of Hoffman’s frustration isn’t aimed at the legislature at all. It’s directed at the very outlets that he believes should be standing beside him. Some journalists have quietly admitted the situation is wrong. He says they won’t share support publicly, though.
“Some of them will say behind the scenes, oh, this is ridiculous what they’re doing to you. I’m like, great, why don’t you put that on social media? Why don’t you say that out loud? The most disappointing thing about this is, aside from conservatives and aside from people who are independent journalists, there’s been zero support from the mainstream media,” shared Hoffman.
He’s especially critical of how the Seattle Times handled coverage of the very hearing related to his case — opting to run wire copy rather than send their own reporter.
“For the media not to say, we may disagree with these guys, but they have the right to speak just like we have the right to speak — that’s probably the thing that’s worse for me. They showed up to the hearing to sit there and watch, not cover the event. The Seattle Times published the AP’s coverage rather than their own coverage of a local event,” Hoffman stated.
Hoffman says the courts are the only remaining path forward. It’s a fight he believes extends far beyond his own microphone.
“If we have a free open press, then it should be for everybody. We have the First Amendment, and it’s not being upheld,” said Hoffman.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
