It could seem as if my recent interest in publishing articles about press restrictions for covering the statehouse in Topeka is excessive.

“What’s the big deal?” is an easy question to ask.

If we were having this discussion in person, I would take a few moments to collect myself.

Because it is such a big deal. House Speaker Dan Hawkins removed the press box from the House floor.

I appreciate his sentiment: “Never did I ban the press from the body,” Hawkins said.

But I take exception with this statement.

Reporting on a story, especially stories layered with complexities and implications, involves more than merely being permitted to stand next to a wall.

I cover meetings best when I am able to sit, listen and type my notes as the meeting unfolds.

I am fortunate that many of the meetings I attend provide a seating area, which includes a table or desk where I can set my computer to type. While I definitely could record and listen back to the meeting, I have found my most efficient workflow to include typing notes, then utilizing those to write my stories.

In my early days as a reporter, before we had the luxury of work laptops, I had to record and type notes the next morning. It took me at least twice as long to accomplish my task.

I am grateful our local governing bodies recognize my needs as a working member of the press and provide what I consider the essentials for me to do my job.

In Topeka, I’m sure it takes many support staff to keep our House and Senate floors running smoothly.

But the press also needs space to work. Removing the dedicated press box doesn’t seem like providing the bare essentials for working members of the press to do their jobs.

During college, I was fortunate enough to have a photojournalism internship at the Topeka Capital-Journal. At that time, in the year 2000, the paper had the luxury of dedicating specific photographers to certain beats or assignments. Yes, one photographer exclusively was assigned to cover the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals, KU and K-State.

The biggest surprise to me was that the paper had one photographer dedicated to the statehouse.

I remember quizzing him about the assignment.

“Isn’t it boring,” my 18-year-old self asked him.

He replied that it wasn’t as immediately action-packed as any of the sports assignments, but because he had been covering the beat for many years, he became familiar with the ins and outs of the statehouse.

“You learn when it’s significant,” he told me. “Over the years, I’ve learned that it means something when I see two people talking who wouldn’t ordinarily exchange a passing hello.”

Today, the Capital-Journal is a fraction of the paper it once was. The press has shrunk, but I argue that its role in our society remains the same.

It is the job of the press to help inform readers about issues that affect the general public.

Yes, there is a live stream of the actions on the floor. Yet not everyone has the luxury of time to sit and watch the proceedings.

This is why ongoing coverage is important.

In order to do our work, we, as working members of the press, need a place to do it.

Beyond this simple issue, however, the press and our newspapers retain a place in our society.

Our weekly newspaper covers local councils and commissions. We also print legal notices, obituaries, wedding announcements and other relevant news.

While it could feel like some of these items are mundane or unimportant, the reality is that the items printed within these pages form the public record of our county’s history that cannot be altered. We cannot go around and remove, delete or erase information from every paper we print. Once it’s printed, it’s there. Not to be undone.

Every week when the newspaper is delivered to your home, it is also delivered to the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka. If, by chance, an edition is missing, they call and we send a replacement along.

This is in order to help maintain a record of our small corner of the state of Kansas.

I am thankful for the desk or workspace each of our public boards provide so my staff and I can do our job.

It is essential my colleagues in Topeka and beyond are extended the same courtesy by those whom they cover.

Karen Bonar Publisher