A Madison Catholic bishop left a speaking engagement at public venue on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s campus, Wednesday, Nov. 19, because a reporter in the audience refused to leave.

Bishop Robert Morlino had been invited by students to speak at the university’s Doudna Hall.

Morlino may have been distracted before the speech because he was confronted by a group of protesters who are unhappy with changes the Madison diocese has made with a Platteville parish.

Although faced by protestors, the bishop was speaking in a public place. He had no reasonable expectation of privacy. In fact, Morlino’s request that no photos or recordings be taken during his speech was improper.

Reporters should have access to public spaces during public events. They should be allowed to cover these events for the public.

The “reporter” was Platteville Journal editor Steve Prestegard, a highly-regarded community journalist.

Morlino asked Prestegard stop taking photos and leave.

Prestegard did not agree to leave or stop doing his job. He was covering an event.

Not only does he have every right to do that, he is protecting the public’s right to know as he is doing it.

Morlino then stopped speaking and moved to the diocese-owned Catholic student center and continued his speech. Prestegard did not follow, as the student center was private property and Morlino could expect privacy there.

Without wanting to offend Catholics, there is no doubt Catholic bishops should be aptly schooled in proper public behavior. A bishop in a public space should understand that what they say is a matter of public record.

After nearly three decades of an incredibly painful and costly battle against acknowledging countless cases of sexual abuse, those in high-ranking positions in the Catholic Church should be operating with an expectation of being open in public.

The most troubling aspect of this situ-ation isn’t necessarily Morlino’s demand for privacy or the brouhaha it caused. Morlino’s speech was likely harmless. What is troubling is the reaction some students at the university had to Prestegard standing his ground on freedom of the press.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, UW-Platteville senior Lucas Klosiewski, secretary of the Catholic student center, said Morlino was right ask the press leave.

“I think most of the people in the audience were students, and we were there to learn,” Klosiewski said. “The reporter added kind of a negative vibe. It’s pretty commonly known that the media can really talk negatively about certain things.”

Indeed, the press does report negative things — like protests, abuse and scandal. Negativity isn’t always dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. Young people should understand that sometimes learning about negative things can protect them.

The title of Morlino’s speech was “Why Does Evil Exist?”

It often exists because it is allowed to grow in darkness without exposure to the public.