Governor's Race

The Democratic candidates for governor are coordinating their attacks with the Argus Leader:

The two Democratic candidates for governor said Tuesday that Republican Gov. Mike Rounds is letting his dispute with the Sioux Falls Argus Leader affect public policy in ways that could be harmful to state citizens facing a mumps outbreak.

Jack Billion of Sioux Falls and Dennis Wiese of Flandreau also argued that the incident is further proof that the Rounds administration prefers secrecy in government to full disclosure of public business, charges that Rounds denied.

The Democrats criticized Rounds for a state policy that limits the release of information to the Argus Leader because of the newspaper’s lawsuit earlier this year seeking to acquire a list of people invited to the Governor’s Pheasant Hunt. Under advice from a lawyer, Rounds directed state employees not to talk to Argus Leader employees without consulting a state lawyer.

The Argus Leader contended Sunday in an editorial that the governor’s order has gone beyond that individual legal issue and resulted last week in state epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger’s refusal to answer questions posed by an Argus Leader reporter about a recent outbreak of mumps.

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Rounds said the Argus Leader and his political critics were mischaracterizing both his policy and the situation involving Kightlinger. An Argus reporter called Kightlinger at home for an interview after hours, and Kightlinger “simply declined to be the press person for the department,” Rounds said.

Although Circuit Court Judge Max Gors of Pierre recently ruled in favor of the state in the Argus suit, Rounds said an appeal by the newspaper is still possible. Until that is settled, state officials are being advised to consult with a lawyer or have one present before granting individual interviews with the Argus Leader, Rounds said.

Such rules don’t apply to reporters from other news outlets not involved in the Argus suit, he said.

“We simply followed our attorney’s advice, which is: As long as litigation is in effect, individuals should refrain from contact on a private basis with individuals from the Argus Leader, until such time as they can have an attorney present or the issue is resolved,” Rounds said.

The Argus Leader has access to any information released at general news conferences, through public news releases or on state Web sites. And reports on the mumps cases detected so far in South Dakota and related information is regularly updated on the state Health Department Web site, Rounds said.

“We have put out a huge amount of information on mumps,” Rounds said.

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