[The Ehrlich administration] is aggressive in its dealings with the news media, most notably its high-profile court battle with The Baltimore Sun over a directive sent out by the governor's press office cutting off the access of a Sun columnist and a reporter to anyone in the executive branch of government.

Some of the documents released Friday show that other reporters have also earned disfavor in the administration. When Mr. Steffen was communications director at the Maryland Insurance Administration, he sent an e-mail to Iris Magaziner, administrative assistant to Insurance Commissioner Alfred Redmer, complaining of a story written by The (Montgomery County) Gazette reporter Thomas Dennison about Mr. Redmer's role in a fund-raiser for Republican senatorial candidate E. J. Pipkin, R-Queen Anne's. Mr. Steffen recommended that "Dennison get nothing from this office again. Ever. He should be removed from all press e-mail lists, and his calls should go unreturned."

An undated memo to the governor's communications office that appeared to be written by Mr. Steffen listed 10 reporters by name with whom the insurance administration had "for the most part" good relations. But listing other news organizations, the writer of the memo said, "I would not call any of those particularly 'good' in the relations department."

Documents detail Gov. Ehrlich's aggressive PR machine, by TOM STUCKEY, Associated Press The Capital, Annapolis, Md. March 13, 2005 [complete article]