Mayor Mike Huether won't take questions from at least one alt-media journalist

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Mayor Mike Huether didn't take a question from blogger and citizen activist Bruce Danielson during a news conference on the Premier Center siding report.

Mayor Mike Huether doesn't think a having a blog and a Youtube channel makes someone a legitimate journalist, but industry professionals say it's not his place to decide.

During an impromptu press conference earlier this month where a report on siding panels at the Premier Center was unveiled, the mayor and one of his most vocal adversaries over the last eight years — Bruce Danielson — had a bit of an exchange while the civic activist attempted to ask a question.

More: Premier Center siding report finds issues, recommends vigilance

"Anybody else? Is there any body else?" Huether asked, talking over Danielson's inquiry about one of the slides in the siding report.

That type of encounter between the two isn't new. As a reporter covering city politics, I've seen it first hand numerous times.

For years Huether has made it a policy not to take questions from Danielson during press conferences.  In 2015, when I was still new to the city beat, my first interaction with Danielson came during a press conference with the mayor at the Midco Aquatics Center, then under construction.

I knew little about the mayor and nothing of Danielson then. But when the mayor ignored a question from Danielson, I learned quickly that these two men have history.

While the mayor doesn't take questions from Danielson at press conferences, South Dakota Newspaper Association Dave Bordewyk said Danielson and anyone seeking information from their government have just as much right to attend press conferences and make any inquiries as reporters from established media sources. And if a citizen plans to convey the information they gather to others, they're a journalist.

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"Thankfully we don’t live in a country where the journalists have to be licensed, you don’t have to apply to be a journalist in America still," he said. "The days where you either owned a printing press or a TV or radio antenna have changed. Now today, if you have an iPhone, you can be a journalist."

Bordewyk said public officials can pick and choose which media members and citizens they acknowledge, but, ideally, no member of a community would be shunned from participating.

"You would hope those in government would error on the side of casting a wide net in terms of allowing anyone to ask questions," he said. "Press conferences are a pretty public event after all."

Huether didn't return an email asking him to explain why he chooses not to respond to Danielson's questions.

It's my guess that Huether doesn't bother with responses to Danielson's questions because he doesn't believe any answer would be satisfactory. Danielson has no qualms in expressing his disapproval for Huether, and Huether probably doesn't think engaging with Danielson would be productive.

What I know for sure is the exchanges aren't a real good look for either man. But both have a stubbornness that leads me to believe the Premier Center siding press conference won't be the last dust up between the two.