City of Sedona Blocks Media Access:

Investigative | Opinion By Thomas Marchetti

   The City of Sedona continues to exclude Oak Creek Chronicle, LLC from its official media distribution practices, despite repeated requests. The Chronicle has asked multiple times through the City Clerk’s office to be added to the same practices that provides local outlets with press releases, manager’s briefings, and meeting packets. To date, no acknowledgment or response has been given.

This lack of action raises serious questions about transparency and equal access. Under Arizona public records law, information provided to one media outlet should be made equally available to others. By refusing to add the Chronicle, the City effectively denies local residents who rely on OCC the same access to timely government information that is regularly shared with competitors.

The refusal comes at a time when public confidence in Sedona’s government is already strained. Mayor Scott Jablow abruptly resigned this week, leaving leadership of the city unsettled.

The city removed its controversial license plate reader system following growing concerns over privacy, surveillance, and lack of community input. These moves, paired with the city’s inconsistent handling of records requests and the looming litigation tied to a recently served $3.5 million Notice of Claim alleging ADA and civil rights violations, paint a picture of a local government struggling to meet basic standards of accountability.

Over the past several months, the City has provided records through broken or password-protected links, partial disclosures, and without the legally required redaction logs. Advocates say this pattern undermines both the spirit and the letter of Arizona’s transparency laws. Oak Creek Chronicle’s managing editor has also filed ADA accommodation requests for digital, accessible delivery of public records, which have not been honored.

Combined with the refusal to include the Chronicle in basic media briefings, these actions suggest a troubling pattern of exclusion and selective access. Equal access to public information is not a privilege but a right. Residents of Sedona deserve to know that every local news source is being treated fairly, and that their government is committed to openness, not gatekeeping.

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