UK Criticized For Banning Reporter
The University of Kentucky is receiving criticism from national and regional journalism groups after banning a student reporter from participating in interviews with basketball players.
The Associated Press Managing Editors and the Associated Press Sports Editors were among those who sent critical letters to UK officials, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader The APME letter called the university’s action “reprehensible conduct.”
The incident stems from a dispute between Aaron Smith, who is a sportswriter and managing editor of the Kernel, and DeWayne Peevy, who is UK’s associate athletics director for media relations.
Peevy says he banned Smith from an event Tuesday in which select media were allowed to interview players because he had broken a university policy by contacting two walk-on basketball players without going through media relations.
