Times-Shamrock CEO discusses decision to control City Paper social media

(One more censored Baltimore City Paper post. A transcript of this phone interview conducted by senior editor Baynard Woods with Times-Shamrock CEO Scott was posted Feb. 28 and subsequently, taken down, presumably by Times-Shamrock. We reprint it here in full. -Fern Shen)

We called Scott Lynett to ask about what happened. the entire conversation is transcribed below. Lynett hung up on me at the end of the conversation. I called back in case it was a bad connection. It was not. He would speak no longer on the record.

CP: Hi Scott, this is Baynard Woods with the City Paper.

Scott Lynett: Hi Baynard, how are you?

CP: Not so well. I find that I’m unable to work, that our web access has been shuit down and thus our ability to write on news stories and this is a news story I’m trying to write on, so I’m trying to figure out what’s happening. And if you don’t mind if I record this.

SL“We have found that Evan today posted an unauthorized blogpost revealing inside information and so we stopped access.”

CP: Inside information, but we are a news organization that’s supposed to report on news, or am I mistaken about that?

SL: I’m sorry, Baynard?

CP: Since we’re a news organization and that’s something that happened. We need to maintain our credibility after the sale and part of doing that is making sure that we are transparent with our readers. Don’t you think that’s something we should be doing?

SL: No, frankly Baynard, I don’t think it is.

CP: So we shouldn’t have reported on . . .

SL: Internal editorial discussions are not subject to reporting.

CP: As far as I knew, no one said it was off the record. We have to maintain our credibility as a newspaper.

SL: Baynard I disagree with you. Is there another question here or is this a speech?

CP: No it’s not a speech at all. I’m wondering what your strategy behind cutting off our internet access and our ability to blog and actually do our jobs, why you think that’s warranted?

At this point Scott Lynett hung up.