Tom Tiffany Campaign Blocks Journal Sentinel Reporter From Event

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany addresses reporters at the Rustic Manor 1848 wedding barn in Hartford Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, after winning the GOP primary for governor. Rich Kremer/WPR

The campaign for U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, blocked a veteran reporter from one of his events Thursday, a move that came days after President Donald Trump took a similar step at the White House.

A social media video from CBS 58 shows Tiffany campaign staff member Eric Brooks blocking Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mary Spicuzza from entering a roundtable discussion in the city. The paper quoted Brooks as saying the campaign “would like to see the Journal Sentinel cover the race fairly and when that happens we’ll be happy to accommodate.”

A social media account associated with Tiffany’s campaign accused Spicuzza of being a “liberal activist” and said that’s why reporters from other outlets were allowed to cover the event and she was not.

Journal Sentinel Executive Editor Greg Borowski said the campaign never raised any issues with him, and the newsroom is committed to covering the campaign and candidates fairly.

“When our reporters cover campaigns and attend political events, they are there on behalf of the public,” said Borowski. “Blocking them blocks the public from vital information.”

He said the campaign’s decision will not deter the Journal Sentinel from covering the campaign, the candidates, their backgrounds and positions.

Another video posted by CBS 58 shows Tiffany responding to questions about Spicuzza not being allowed into the event. Tiffany said he talks to the press regularly and a Journal Sentinel photographer was allowed into the roundtable. When pressed on why his campaign staff had blocked Spicuzza, he said he’ll “have to go back and talk to my communications team.”

Tiffany also accused his Democratic challenger, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, of “being managed” by his campaign’s communications staff.

“I think you should follow up with Mr. Crowley and ask him if he’s going to be as open and transparent as I am,” said Tiffany.

In an interview with WPR, Crowley said “Congressman Tom Tiffany likes to lie.” He noted Tiffany told reporters on Sept. 22 that he didn’t plan on blocking reporters from events.

“He literally said that … he would never turn away a reporter from covering his events,” Crowley said. “And two days later, he did exactly that.”

The Tiffany campaign decision to block Spicuzza comes days after Trump banned reporters from CNN, MSNBC and Politico from the White House. The outlets sued and a federal judge restored their access Thursday for at least 14 days.

In 2019, the conservative MacIver Institute for Public Policy sued Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in federal court alleging he violated the First Amendment rights of staff members who were blocked from a press briefing. A federal judge sided with Evers and the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected MacIver’s appeal.

WPR’s Joe Schulz contributed reporting.

Tom Tiffany’s campaign blocks reporter from Milwaukee event was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.