Paxton TV station files suit to get records on university's interference with reporting by its award-wining radio station

Radio station is in Murray; TV station is in Paducah.

WPSD, the only TV station in Paducah, Kentucky, has filed suit against Murray State University to get records "related to the university's attempts to interfere with reporting by WKMS, a National Public Radio-affiliated station operated by Murray State," the station reports.

"Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron previously ruled that the university violated the Kentucky Open Records Act when it improperly involved the preliminary-records exemption and when it refused to search for some records, claiming the request was unreasonably burdensome. That ruling also summarily rejected Murray State's contention that the First Amendment somehow protected administrators' emails simply because they may be related to WKMS, a news gathering operation."

MSU President Bob Jackson "demanded through two other high-ranking administrators a written explanation" from the station for its reporting on the local circuit judge, who had called Jackson to complain. The Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission recently ousted the judge, saying he had "improperly used his position seeking to kill an unflattering story," write WPSD reporter Todd Faulkner and News Director Perry Boxx.

Chad Lampe, who was manager of the station and its former news director, told the commission "that the incident was a contributing factor to, and acceleration of, his departure from the station and the university," WPSD reports. In 2021, WKMS News's reporting on toiugh issues, including university matters, won it the Al Smith Award for public service through community journalism from the Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog.

WPSD also filed a request "seeking documents relating to other incidents involving Jackson and others," the station reports. "The request sought records about university attitudes, including those of Murray State Board of Regents leadership, about the radio station's investigative reporting efforts and the 'mission and purpose of WKMS.' We also seek records regarding the university’s simultaneously ongoing attempt to retain accreditation for the school's journalism department. Monday's lawsuit said MSU again provided improperly heavily redacted documents."

WPSD is the only TV station owned by Paxton Media Group, which is headquartered in Paducah and owns about 125 newspapers, ranking it fifth among U.S. newspaper owners.