Hartford — Connecticut first lady Cathy Malloy has apologized for remarks she made Wednesday at a town hall-style meeting at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., that attracted national attention.

"I was trying to convey a certain sentiment, and I didn't do a good job of expressing what I really feel," Malloy said in a statement released this morning.

During the question-and-answer portion of an event sponsored by EMILY'S List, a group that supports pro-choice Democratic women seeking public office, Cathy Malloy lashed out at what she described as intrusive media coverage that discourages people, including women, from seeking public office.

The Los Angeles Times published a story on Malloy's behavior and remarks, headlined "Connecticut's first lady lashes media at Emily's List panel."

"People do not appreciate people in public life like they should," Malloy was quoted by the paper. "Americans eat their politicians up every day. And this is a huge problem. Not only do we get beat up, our children get beat up. And it's tough business, a really tough business, for people that want to get in public life."

According to the Connecticut Post, Malloy proceeded to tell of her experience being pulled over by police this April by an officer who was unaware that she was first lady.

"In April I drove to work and I forgot to put my seat belt on, and I was pulled over by police," the Post reported. "Of course, they had no idea who I was," said Malloy, and described the condition of her car that included an expletive. "And I was driving myself, because of course, governor's wives only get security when we're with our husbands. We're pretty second-class without them," she told the group.

Listen to Malloy's remarks at http://lat.ms/NOEThi.

Malloy was quoted in the LA Times as attempting to tell another story about how the media handled the "significant trouble" her son got into, yet was cut short by another panelist.

In 2007, when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was still mayor of Stamford, police accused the Malloys' son, Benjamin, of dealing marijuana and he entered a probationary program. He was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to five years probation for attempting to rob a man of marijuana, according to news reports.

In her statement today, Cathy Malloy said she does not always agree with what is written by the press, but believes that "they've been fair to my family and me."

"I made these comments at a panel hosted by Emily's List, and I was addressing the question of why more people don't get into public life, especially women," Malloy said. "The point I was trying to make is that for those of us who do get into public service, there are sacrifices we have to make — including some of our privacy. Sometimes that's frustrating. But we believe deeply in public service, and so we make whatever sacrifices we need to make. We don't expect anyone to feel sorry for us, because we're honored to be able to serve."

j.reindl@theday.com