The U.S. Army will allow the media to cover Sarah Palin's appearance at Fort Bragg, but will bar reporters from interviewing her or her supporters on the post, officials said yesterday.
A Fort Bragg spokesman initially said that the Army would ban the media from Palin's book signing on Monday, fearing that it would turn into political grandstanding against President Obama.
After The Associated Press and The Fayetteville Observer protested, Col. Billy Buckner said the post would permit restricted access.
A small pool of reporters will be allowed to attend the book signing, a public event, but will not be allowed to do interviews.
Buckner said that the setup will allow reporters their right to access while keeping the appearance from turning political -- something that officials believe would violate policy.
"If media are present, they can capture the imagery of what's going and sort of the ambiance of what's taking place," he said.
Fort Bragg, which is base for about 35,000 soldiers, does not have many promotional activities, especially not with political figures. Officials said they worried that media coverage would turn the appearance into a chance for people to express political opinions "directed against the commander in chief."
"The main reason is to stop this from turning into a political platform," said Fort Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum. "There are Army regulations that basically prohibit military reservations from becoming political platforms by politicians."
Palin has already agreed not to give a speech, McCollum said. She will sign her new book for people and will not stop to pose for photographs, officials said.
Palin began a promotional tour this week for her memoir, Going Rogue, with plans to travel through several states that were key to the 2008 election, including North Carolina. She made several stops in the state while campaigning on the ticket of GOP presidential nominee John McCain.
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