Editorial: Kate Stewart’s Hypocrisy on Full Display
Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart has decided that The Montgonion cannot attend her press briefings. Make no mistake: this is not about “ethics,” “standards,” or “confusion” — the flimsy talking points the County attorney parroted in our denial letter. This is about Kate Stewart using her power to silence a voice she finds personally offensive.
We know this because multiple sources who sought to intervene on our behalf have confirmed it. The decision to admit or exclude a news outlet is entirely the Council President’s prerogative. One former Council President even told us plainly: Kate Stewart could let you in if she wanted to. No Council member has disputed our position, nor has any defended the Council President's. Three told us clearly: it's up to Kate.
The Montgonion's real barrier to Media Availabilities is Stewart’s thin-skinned bias. Early in her term as president, she withdrew an offer for The Montgonion to interview her because she was angry about things we said on Twitter. Now she has taken her personal grudge to a whole new level, turning it into official, and unconstitutional, County policy.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Stewart is a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat who calls President Donald Trump an autocrat for heavy-handedness, secrecy, and disrespect for the press. Yet when confronted with local satire and scrutiny, she does exactly what she condemns: she slams the door shut and hand-picks which reporters may ask questions. At least Trump makes no bones about it; Stewart hides behind a paper-thin excuse about “journalistic standards.”
Source: Official Facebook account of County Council President Kate Stewart. Post dated June 14, 2025
Stewart would like you to believe this is about the integrity of the press. It isn’t. It’s about silencing a voice she dislikes and personal bias masquerading as policy. And it’s about a County Council President who protests for transparency while practicing censorship in her own house.
Montgomery County deserves better than hypocrisy and petty passive-aggression leading it into unconstitutional waters. It deserves leaders who respect the First Amendment, even when it's ugly, insulting and stings.
If Kate Stewart can’t handle a little satire in Rockville without abusing her authority to silence it, then she has no place on the sidewalks at Montgomery County's "No Kings" protests. We don't need Queens either.
"The First Amendment protects even highly offensive and hurtful communications on matters of public concern." -- Justice Steven Breyer in Snyder v. Phelps (562 U.S. 443, 2011). Image Credit: The Montgonion.
