FC Cincinnati suspends reporter's credential for access to the team

CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati suspended a reporter's credentials for two weeks, citing a failure "to act in accordance with the standards and practices" of reporting and MLS guidelines. A statement published Thursday night on the club's website announced the suspension.

The suspended reporter, Laurel Pfahler, who is the reporter behind the publication Queen City Press, said in a statement response on X, formerly Twitter, that she strongly disagrees with the suspension, saying she never "violated any journalism ethics or MLS guidelines." She called the suspension an act of "bullying."

Pfahler first wrote about the suspension last weekend on patreon.com. She said her press pass was suspended last Friday.

FC Cincinnati said in its statement that it "had no intention of making this story public. However, since Laurel Pfahler has driven public attention to the matter, we have no choice but to provide answers to the many questions our fans are asking."

The reaction from some fans was very visible. Multiple posts over the last week to FC Cincinnati's fan group on Facebook asked about Pfahler, with some calling for her to be reinstated, others curious about what happened. Hundreds more have weighed in on X, formerly Twitter.

ESPN 1530 radio host Mo Egger posted he was suspending coverage of the team until Pfahler's suspension was over.

The club's explanation of the suspension was limited, but said this in its statement:

"Laurel has failed to act in accordance with the standards and practices of the Society of Professional Journalists and the MLS Notice of Credentials Use Conditions. She refuses to accept responsibility for her actions, despite multiple conversations and attempts at working together to forge a productive relationship between her and the club. Out of professional decorum, we will not be sharing the details publicly."

Pfahler originally wrote on Friday that she, too, did not want to discuss the details of the suspension, and at the time wrote "the club has not accused me of violating any guidelines listed in the MLS Notice of Credential Use Conditions. I stand by my reporting and ethics."

In her statement response Thursday night, Pfahler said when she asked the club for examples as to why she was being suspended, she said she was "told three situations where I spoke to sources outside of the facility or team approved interviews. I do not believe simply taking sources within the team is how to cover a professional franchise. I believe the fans deserve more."

Pfahler has been a journalist for more than 15 years, working for WCPO 9, The Athletic, and the Dayton Daily News. She says she has been covering FC Cincinnati since the team began playing in 2016, "in the press box for almost every home game" and has also covered the Bengals since 2015.

The club's statement closed with a rationale for the suspension: "The decision to temporarily rescind her media credentials is meant to serve as an opportunity to reflect and rebuild based on trust, transparency and an adherence to a common set of standards and ethics associated with her role as a journalist. In the spirit of 'All for Cincy,' we hope to move forward in a positive manner soon."

You can read the entire statement about the suspension on FC Cincinnati's website here.

Editor's note: The spouse of the reporter mentioned in this story is employed by the E.W. Scripps Company, WCPO's parent company.