Adams Continues His Absurd Feud with Daily News Reporter
A Daily News reporter who Mayor Adams threatened to ban from future off-topic press briefings was allowed his seat at a June 24 briefing, but once again Adams refused to call on him.
| 30 Jun 2025 | 10:17
Daily News reporter Christopher Sommerfeldt, at the 115th Pct in Jackson Heights where Mayor Eric Adams held his off-topic press briefing on June 24. Adams let Sommerfeldt take a seat at the weekly press briefing after threatening to bar him a weekly earlier for speaking out of turn. But Adams still refused to call on him. (
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Daily News reporter, Josie Strathman, tried to hand off her opening question time to her colleague Chris Sommerfeldt, who Adams has refused to call on during his briefings. An Adams aid told her: ‘This isn’t the Senate.” (
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Mayor Eric Adams continued his feud with Daily News reporter Christopher Sommerfeldt at his weekly off-the-record press briefings on June 24.
Hizzoner insisted he was within his rights to not call on anyone.
Sommerfeldt is the senior City Hall reporter for the Daily News, but for months Adams has refused to call on him at his Tuesday off-topic press briefings.
“It’s close to four months now,” Somerfeldt said.
On June 17, Adams said he was banning him from future briefings after Somerfeldt called out questions from the press pen without specifically being given the ok by Adams aids who usually give each reporter they call on one or two questions to toss at the Mayor.
The talk of a ban drew an angry retort from the NewsGuild of New York, the union representing editors and photographers, as well as the Daily News management, which said the ban was “unconstitutional.”
Adams at his June 24 presser, allowed Somerfeldt into the off the record briefing which was being held at the 115th Pct house in Jackson Heights where Adams was addressing the press with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, deputy mayor Kaz Daughtry and other brass to talk about the crackdown on brothels up and down Roosevelt Avenue.
Once that show was over, he opened the floor to off-topic questions. A second Daily News reporter, Josie Stratham raised her hand and was called on first. She said she’d like to reserve her time for her colleague Chris Somerfeldt.
”This isn’t the Senate,” an aide to Adams said.
And then Adams doubled down on his refusal to call on Somerfeldt.
“Let’s be clear on something,” said Adams. “There is no rule or law that states who we have to call on. There is no rule or law that states that. If I’m in the streets and you guys stop me, you put a camera in my face. If I choose to answer, I answer. That’s the beauty of this country. The beauty of this country, you have the right to ask a question. The beauty of this country is that I have the right to answer the question. That’s what’s great about America.
“In other countries, you don’t have that luxury,” he continue. “In other countries, you’re dragged away if you do something wrong. And so we’re deciding who we’re going to call on in my off topics.”
Afterward the deputy mayor for communications, Fabien Levy was approached by a number of reporters, including Kate Honan of The City and the two Daily News reporters.
“Why won’t you call on Chris?” Stratman asked.
“We called on you first,” Levy shot back.
“Why are you ignoring a credentialed reporter?” he was asked. He then put his mobile phone to his ear and proceeded to walk to a waiting SUV, presumably to take him back to the city.