Harrison “Truthmaster” Lewis was not allowed to attend the semimonthly press conference of Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith last week after Lewis’ recent announcement that he is starting a tabloid newspaper.

Lewis said Ken Storms, the city’s chief administrative officer, escorted by two police officers, approached him outside the Meridian Police Department on Wednesday and informed him the mayor did not want him at the conference.

“This is insane to me,” Lewis said. “The mayor is controlling the media. Ken said I was barred from the press conference because I was a tabloid magazine, so I walked away.”

Mayor Smith at his Aug. 23 press conference told Lewis he was no longer welcome because he is not a member of the “legitimate media.”

The legitimate media, according to Smith, is “those who are actually in the business of transmitting the news to the public.”

But Lewis said that transmitting the news is all he wants to do. He said his new publication, the “Truthmaster Tabloid” will be available Tuesday by subscription and at 2031 15th Ave., and he said the city issued him a business license to run his new publication.

“We have gotten complaint after complaint, from both the white community and the black community, about his conduct at the press conferences,” Storms said.

Storms said he did not ban Lewis from the building nor did he invite police officers to accompany him while he talked to Lewis. He said he was not aware anyone was behind him until his conversation with Lewis was over and he turned around to walk inside.

Assistant Police Chief Tommy Miller said police officers were not ordered to accompany Storms, they did so on their own accord.

“I think they just wanted to make sure there was no problem,” Miller said.

Storms said that as long as Lewis was affiliated with radio station WNBN, 1290 AM, he was welcome at the press conference.

He also said he and the mayor are not trying to control the media, and he believes both he and Smith have been more than forthcoming with the press.

“This has nothing to do with Harrison Lewis, we just don’t want to deal with a tabloid newspaper,” Storms said.

But Lewis disagrees.

“They don’t like the tone of the questions I ask,” Lewis said. “They are afraid of what I was asking that day.”

Lewis said it was questions about Smith’s apparent weight loss and personal life that sparked his banishment after the last press conference. But he said those are questions that the people deserve to have answers to.

Lewis said he has contacted his lawyer and he plans to sue the city. Storms would not comment on any possible litigation but said to his knowledge no lawsuits had been filed as of Friday.