Gov. Ricketts grants press credentials to North Omaha news outlet

After more than a month of uncertainty, the Governor’s Office on Wednesday approved credentials for an online news outlet based in North Omaha — effectively ending a saga that had raised alarm from press freedom advocates and scholars.

With the decision, officials at NOISE Omaha, the nonprofit news site that had previously been denied access to Gov. Pete Ricketts’ news conferences, are hoping that the outlet will stop “being the news” and continue covering it.

“It’s good news. … We’re happy we can get back to doing our jobs,” said Myles A. Davis, interim executive director of NOISE, which stands for North Omaha Information Support Everyone.

NOISE, which was founded in 2018, had submitted applications for 11 staff members to be credentialed on June 15. While other outlets had their applications approved within days, NOISE was largely in the dark until Wednesday.

Read more: https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gov-ricketts-grants-press-credentials-to-north-omaha-news-outlet/article_345d39bd-2e1f-522d-9301-57bf128ce375.html
(Lincoln Journal Star)