Key Points
- The Oregon Government Ethics Commission will conduct an investigation into possible public meetings law infractions committed by the St Helens City Council in relation to its policy regarding media attendance at closed executive sessions.
- A complaint has been filed with the commission by a St Helens citizen Brady Preheim, claiming that he is a member of the press and should be able to attend the city’s executive sessions.
- The investigation will check whether all five council members have broken public meetings law by denying Preheim access to executive sessions.
- Initiation of an investigation is not proof of a violation; the commission has 180 days to reach a decision.
- The executive sessions are closed to the public except for staff, individuals whose business pertains to the discussion, and press representatives.
- The state law does not specify what constitutes news media, but the guidance in the 2024 Attorney General’s Public Records and Meetings Manual can help.
- According to the attorney general, news media is not confined only to traditional print and broadcast but not a blogger posting “reflections and comments” is not likely to fit into it.
- Press representatives attending the executive sessions are usually instructed not to disclose topics of discussion,
St Helens Council (Liverpool standard) August 20, 2026 – The Oregon Government Ethics Commission will investigate the uk/local/st-helens/">St Helens City Council over alleged public meetings law violations stemming from the city’s policy on media attendance of closed-door meetings, as reported by the Columbia County Spotlight.
The complaint was brought to the ethics commission by St Helens resident Brady Preheim, who says he is a member of the media who should be allowed to attend the city’s executive session meetings. The investigation will examine whether all five members of the council violated public meetings law by denying Preheim access to executive session meetings. The ethics commission’s decision to open an investigation does not mean a violation has occurred, and the commission has 180 days to make a determination on the matter.
City councils are allowed to convene in executive session to discuss certain matters, such as pending litigation, property transactions and more. Executive sessions are closed to the public with some exceptions for staff, people whose presence is relevant to the discussion and members of the press.
This case centres around who is and is not considered a member of the press when it comes to executive session attendance. State law does not provide a definition of news media, but the attorney general has issued guidance on this point. The 2024 Attorney General’s Public Records and Meetings Manual states that “a representative of the news media is a news gatherer who has a formal affiliation with an institutional news medium, that is, with an entity formally organised for the purpose of gathering and disseminating news.”
The attorney general’s opinion explicitly states that news media is not limited to traditional print and broadcast sources, but that a blogger posting “reflections and comments” in an online journal is not likely to qualify. Press representatives who attend executive sessions are typically instructed not to report on the topics discussed at the meeting, and state law backs this limitation, but there are no penalties for reporters who disclose information discussed in executive sessions.
The vague definition of news media provided by state law and a rise in requests to attend executive sessions from local content creators prompted the city to establish a news media attendance policy in 2024. Cities are able to adopt policies regarding media attendance of executive sessions, per the attorney general’s guidance, but there is a catch the policies are unenforceable if they conflict with statutory requirements to allow members of the press in closed sessions.
This is what caught the attention of the ethics committee, which will now investigate whether the city’s policy narrowed the definition of news media beyond what is provided for by state law.
What Did the Ethics Board Commissioners Say?
“As traditional news media fails, we need to be more open towards non-traditional news media,” ethics board Commissioner Cheri Helt said. “One of the things that’s very important when we’re writing policies is making sure that we are not using if we agree or disagree with how they’re reporting. It should be equal access, in my opinion, and this case is very troubling to me.”
Committee members also took issue with the policy’s requirement that members of the press submit an application for recognition as news media at least 30 days in advance of the first executive session they wish to attend, as the city typically does not post notice of such meetings until about a week beforehand.
Not all members of the ethics committee took issue with the city’s policy, and one commissioner commended St Helens for its news media guidelines. “I don’t know what more this city could have done on this thing,” Vice Chair Jonathan Thompson said. “I know that we don’t pass judgements on whether this person is a member of the news media, so I won’t do that, but I think this city has done wonderful work on this policy.”
What Is an Executive Session?
An executive session is a portion of a public body’s meeting that is closed to the public, permitted under state law to discuss specific sensitive matters. These include pending litigation, property transactions and other subjects where public discussion could harm the public interest. Executive sessions are distinct from regular public meetings, which must be open to the public, and the topics that may be discussed in closed session are strictly limited by statute.
Who Counts as Media Under State Law?
The central question in this case is who qualifies as a member of the press for the purpose of attending executive sessions. State law does not define news media, leaving the matter to attorney general guidance. The 2024 Attorney General’s Public Records and Meetings Manual describes a representative of the news media as a news gatherer with a formal affiliation with an institutional news medium an entity formally organised for the purpose of gathering and disseminating news. The guidance clarifies that news media is not limited to traditional print and broadcast outlets, but that a blogger posting personal “reflections and comments” in an online journal is not likely to qualify.
What Happens Next in the Investigation?
The ethics commission’s decision to open an investigation does not mean a violation has occurred. The commission has 180 days to make a determination on the matter. During that period, it will examine whether the city’s policy narrowed the definition of news media beyond what is provided for by state law, and whether all five council members violated public meetings law by denying Preheim access to executive session meetings.
Background of the Development
The dispute over media access to executive sessions in St Helens did not emerge in isolation. It follows a broader shift in local journalism, in which traditional news outlets have declined while local content creators, bloggers and independent reporters have grown in number. This shift has created uncertainty over who should be treated as a member of the press under public meetings law.
In response to a rise in requests to attend executive sessions from local content creators, and because state law offered only a vague definition of news media, the city of St Helens established a news media attendance policy in 2024. The policy set out requirements for press recognition, including that members of the press submit an application at least 30 days in advance of the first executive session they wish to attend.
The attorney general’s guidance permits cities to adopt policies regarding media attendance of executive sessions, but it also makes clear that such policies are unenforceable if they conflict with statutory requirements to allow members of the press into closed sessions. This tension between local policy and state law is at the heart of the ethics investigation now under way.
Prediction: How This Could Affect Local Reporters and Content Creators
The outcome of this investigation could have a significant effect on local reporters, independent content creators and the broader public in St Helens and across Oregon. If the ethics commission determines that the city’s policy narrowed the definition of news media beyond what state law allows, the city may be required to revise its attendance policy to grant broader access to non-traditional media.
For local content creators and independent journalists, a ruling in favour of broader access would open the door to attending executive sessions, giving them the same standing as reporters from traditional outlets. For the city council, it could mean changes to its application process, including the 30-day advance requirement that committee members questioned.
For the public, the case touches on transparency and accountability in local government. Executive sessions are closed by design, but press access is intended to serve the public interest. A decision clarifying who qualifies as media could set a precedent for other Oregon cities facing similar questions, shaping how local governments balance closed-door deliberations with public oversight.
