Walker Reverses Eviction Of Investigative Journalism Center

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Gov. Scott Walker vetoed a budget provision that would have ejected the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism from its office in a University of Wisconsin-Madison building.

The center will continue to operate on the UW-Madison campus and collaborate with university employees.

Had the item remained, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public TV employees and other UW System staff would not have been allowed to work with WCIJ on projects. Suburban Milwaukee GOP state Sen. Alberta Darling contends she’s not upset with the governor’s veto, though she defends going after WCIJ via the budget.

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“My point was, why should taxpayers be paying for an organization to have rent paid for in our university system? Because when [WCIJ] puts out their information, they say ‘[inaudible] … of the University of Wisconsin.’ Well, they aren’t ‘of the University of Wisconsin’; they’re just housed there.”

Governor Walker says he vetoed the item because it targeted a single organization. He’s directing the UW Board of Regents to develop a system-wide policy on outside organizations using UW facilities and staff time.