Alberta premier broadens restrictions on reporter questions to include media outlets

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith broadened her new media-question restriction policy Saturday to limit not only questions from reporters but also from media outlets.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith broadened her new media-question restriction policy Saturday to limit not only questions from reporters but also from media outlets.

Smith told her Corus call-in radio show that not only are individual reporters now limited to one question at news conferences – as announced Friday -- she will also accept no more than one question in total from any single news outlet at an event.

Smith reiterated she needs to put limits on questions in order to provide more answers.

“Each media outlet will get one question instead of getting two while we’re in this period of the campaign because I just need to make sure that we’re getting to as many people as possible,” Smith said on “Your Province Your Premier” in response to one main question and two follow-up questions from the show's host.

“(This way) we can get to more media outlets because as we get into the election campaign, there's going to be far more interest.”

Smith’s chief adviser Rob Anderson confirmed the change in a statement on Twitter, writing “(Smith) is taking one question per media outlet per press conference for six weeks so she can get to more outlets during the upcoming election period.”

The writ is scheduled to be dropped on May 1 for a May 29 polling day, but politicians from both sides are already effectively on the hustings, knocking on doors, making promises and criticizing one other.