No Press Credentials, State Tells Bloggers

[AverageJoe]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/13521931.htm



NET COMMENTATORS WANT TO COVER '06 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

By John Cheves HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER


Computers in hand, Kentucky's small but growing flock of political Web log publishers will descend on Frankfort next week for the 2006 General Assembly.

But they won't join the ink-stained wretches of the press.

State officials are telling the bloggers that they aren't journalists and can't get the press credentials that grant access to the House and Senate floors and Capitol entrances generally closed to the public.

This is irritating to a group that, by nature, tends to wake up cranky on the best of days.

"I told them I may not be a quote-unquote 'working journalist,' I'm not with the mainstream media, but I do have a Web site," said David Adams, a banking services salesman in Jessamine County who publishes conservative opinions on kyprogress.blogspot.com.

--snip--

[msongs]

1. sounds reasonable - if bloggers want to be "journalists" they will also

have to use the same standards (imagined or otherwise) of broadcast and print media journalists.

the bloggers will not likely get the same access and privileges while denying the same responsibility.

If ya wanna play the same game ya gotta use the same rules.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[AverageJoe]

3. Once upon a time

I would have agreed with you. Now, I no longer believe that the corporate media plays by any rules other than their prime directive: Protect republicans at all costs.

I've gone beyond cynicism. The shit of it is, I used to be a reporter. I used to teach journalism at a university. I used to believe.

[TahitiNut]

4. We're a looong way from "Teacher's Pet"

[AverageJoe]

6. Teacher's pet

I wanna be teacher's pet....

That's all I remember from that groovy little song. Good flick.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. What about "Jeff Gannon" of "TalonNews.com" getting WH Press

credentials? :shrug:

[AverageJoe]

7. I'm trying to come up with a witty reply

but everything I can think of is just not funny. Damn. There's really nothing funny about a male prostitute having unlimited access to the White House and the corporate media not even raising an eyebrow about it. That should be funny, shouldn't it????

I think we all know what Gannon's true "credential" was. The question is, who in the white house verified that credential. Maybe it wasn't a pretzel at all that choked *....

[Lex]

5. So what defines "journalist" now? Who decides?

Interesting.