SANTA FE – In the name of transparency, Gov. Susana Martinez’s office has ramped up its video webcasting of the New Mexico Legislature this year by hiring more workers to record committee hearings and floor debates.
But the way the cameras are used continues to rankle Democratic lawmakers, who claim the videos are political instruments.
During a Senate hearing this week, Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, noted the coming and going of a Governor’s Office employee filming the committee and alleged the cameras are intended to “catch us for political purpose.”
Others have similar views.
“In addition to transparency, most of it will be used for campaigning, and we all know that,” said Sen. Linda Lopez, an Albuquerque Democrat who serves as chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Simply put, the video cameras haven’t blended into the Capitol background in the year since they were deployed.
Estevan Lujan, who works for the Department of Information Technology, films a House session on Tuesday. (adolphe Pierre-Louis/journal)
During last year’s legislative session, the Governor’s Office’s video webcasting was conducted by a lone employee who filmed one event at a time. The footage was then posted onto Martinez’s official state website.
In contrast, three workers are filming official meetings of the Legislature during the current 30-day session. Two of the workers have been hired for monthlong contracts — each paying $1,300 — and the third is a student intern from the University of New Mexico, according to the Governor’s Office.
And visitors to the Governor’s Office website can now search through the archived videos by clicking on an agenda item, Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell said.
“This is a large state, and it can be difficult for New Mexicans to travel to Santa Fe, but live webcasting and archiving of these public meetings can allow them to take part in the legislative process,” Darnell said Tuesday.
Given this year’s upgrades, he said it is the goal of the Governor’s office to film all floor sessions of both the House and Senate and as many committee hearings as possible.
Darnell told the Journal no preference is given to either House or Senate committees — or any committee in particular.
But some legislators question whether that is actually the case, noting that committee meetings that feature high-profile agenda items are generally the ones that are filmed.
“To me, if the governor is going to be doing this, she should be at every hearing,” Lopez said.
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At a glance: To check out the Governor’s Office webcasting, go to www.governor.state.nm.us/webcast.aspx For the Legislature’s webcasting, go to www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/webcast/default.aspx |
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The video webcasting has been a particularly thorny subject for Senate Democrats, who also have clashed with Martinez on other issues.
Last year, top-ranking Senate Democrats sponsored a largely symbolic bill that would have required webcasting of Martinez’s Cabinet meetings. Also Senate Democratic leader Michael Sanchez of Belen instructed a staffer to shoot video of the employees filming for the Governor’s Office.
Some legislators also have suggested that the footage recorded by the Governor’s Office is edited. However, Martinez’s office disputes that claim, and recently archived videos posted on the website do not appear to be edited.
The Legislature also provides its own webcasting — both audio and video streams — of both the House and Senate chambers, as well as all House standing committees. However, the footage is not stored on the Legislature’s website, meaning it can only be watched in real time.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal
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