Statement on media restrictions at Lincoln Park High School

Lincoln Park High School security guards removed Illinois Preps Insider photographer and reporter Jack Lydon from the gymnasium Friday night and prohibited him from photographing the Lincoln Park vs. Lane Tech boys basketball game using his DSLR cameras.

When first prompted to leave the gymnasium, the security guard on duty initially questioned Mr. Lydon as to his identity as well as his purpose for being at last night’s game

When Mr. Lydon asked for an explanation, the security guard said that no cameras were allowed in the gym during the game because of: “What is going on in the news.” When asked exactly what that meant and what was being reported in the news, the security guard offered no further explanation.

No administration official was present at Lincoln Park at the time of the incident. The direction to exclude all cameras came from Interim Principal John Thuet before the games began.

The chief security guard on duty Friday said that Mr. Thuet’s prohibition on cameras in the gym came through an email she received from Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield. Neither Mr. Thuet nor Ms. Brumfield could be reached for comment. A message to the CPS Communications Office also went unanswered.

After being removed from the gym, photographer Jack Lydon was allowed to re-enter the gym without his DSLR cameras. He covered the game using his cellphone camera. His reports from the game can be found on his Twitter account at @JackLydon63.

It’s unfortunate that such a statement has to be made, especially during such a tumultuous time for media members. We at Illinois Preps Insider have a very good track record when it comes to ethical reporting, and we will continue to strive to meet and exceed our own lofty expectations.

We hope this is just a one off occurrence, so all of our content producers can have unrestricted access for years to come.

Luke Drase
Founder of Illinois Preps Insider