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The AAJ's Misguided Media Ban

By Robert J. Ambrogi

When news media showed up this weekend to cover House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech at the annual convention of the American Association for Justice in San Francisco, they were turned away. Ray De Lorenzi, the AAJ's associate director of communications, said the event was open only to members of the national plaintiff-lawyers' group, according to Legal Newsline. "No media have ever been allowed at our conventions," he said. "This is for members only." Unfortunately for Mr. De Lorenzi, it is simply not true to say that media have never been allowed at AAJ's conventions. I can say that unequivocally because I attended a number of the organization's conventions as a credentialed member of the news media and also arranged for other reporters at my publications to attend. On more than one occasion, I conducted face-to-face interviews with the association's president during the annual convention, usually with the organization's director of media relations sitting in, so I have no doubt they knew I was there. Mr. De Lorenzi joined the AAJ only last year, according to his LinkedIn profile, so I have to assume he was misinformed about the association's past practice. Regardless, for a major professional organization such as the...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on July 27, 2009 (boomark / email).