In heated exchange, FOX 17 News reporter holds Nashville mayor's office accountable for leaked COVID-19 emails

https://twitter.com/FOXNashville/status/1306768896633036800

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Nashville Mayor John Cooper says actions taken early led to successes for the city when it came to lowering spread of COVID-19, somewhat explaining the rationale of his office after FOX 17 News uncovered emails showing the office was suppressing information.

On Wednesday, FOX 17 News Investigative Reporter Dennis Ferrier shared emails exchanged between the mayor's office and health department showing coronavirus cases on lower Broadway may have been so low, the office decided not to share the information with the public.

The email exchanges were focused on the bars and restaurants at the heart of Music City, these establishments being among the hardest hit by regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Cooper somewhat addressed the decision making in a question from a reporter during his press conference on Thursday, stating "We took action, we took action ahead of time, and in response to careful information sent to us by the White House and it has been effective."

Mayor Cooper added the administration was driven by public health information to areas of concern where gatherings of people could become super spreader events. He cited video shared in mid-July which showed crowds swarming Lower Broadway, many of the patrons not wearing masks despite a city mandate.

On Thursday, FOX 17's Dennis Ferrier attempted to ask Mayor Cooper about the emails, saying the station had asked for context but was met with a request for a freedom of information act (FOIA). "That doesn't feel like a real we're all in this together comment," Ferrier said. "Don't you think the bar and restaurant owners, some who are going out of business every week deserve to know that there were around 80 cases?...We talked about sharing good news, that was pretty good news."

Mayor Cooper's spokesman Chris Song responded to the request for verifying the authenticity of the emails sent to him by FOX 17 News, stating his request for a FOIA was necessary to go through the "proper channels" to go through line-by-line and coordinated with the clerk's office. "When you asked for comment, there was absolutely no context for the comment that you requested," Song said. He added he believed it was a "lapse in journalistic judgment" for not reaching out to the office after confirmation the emails were authentic.... (Read more)

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