« Hillary Clinton And The Blogosphere | Main | Score One For The Daily Kos Crowd »

No Press Pass For You!

Some bloggers in Kentucky want to cover the state's legislative session set to begin this week, but the press nazis who control access to the state Capitol apparently aren't going to let that happen.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news Saturday, and bloggers Mark Tapscott of the Heritage Foundation's Center for Media and Public Policy, and Doug Petsch have the commentary.

Tapscott isn't surprised by the decision because he said authorities don't always want better coverage of what they are doing and that's exactly what bloggers would provide. He added that the battle "is likely an early skirmish in what will be a lengthy nationwide struggle for bloggers to achieve the recognition they deserve as valuable public policy resources from government officials."

Petsch, meanwhile, said the lack of official recognition as press shouldn't keep Kentucky bloggers from their watchdog role. "Personally, I figure something as simple as a place to sit will be easily solved if someone really wants to write about what's going on with our government," he said. "After all, there's nothing to stop those who so desire from sitting in the public galleries, but I suppose it's not quite the same ego-stroke as sitting with the cool kids in the press section."

UPDATE: Andy Roth of The Club for Growth is calling for a blog swarm against the Kentucky legislature. "I think putting pressure on those in charge in Kentucky would be a great project for the entire blogosphere to get behind," he wrote. "If we win in Kentucky, we will win everywhere else. It's time for blogging barbarians to jump the moat and tear down the gate."

Posted by | 12:24 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://amcblog.nationaljournal.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/415

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference No Press Pass For You!:

» Bloggers Denied Access from The Club for Growth Blog
Bloggers in Kentucky wanting to cover the state’s upcoming legislative session were denied press passes. No suprise here. Those who work in the sausage factory don’t want uninitiated outsiders to know how it is made.... [Read More]

Tracked on January 3, 2006 09:55 AM

» Bloggers Denied Access from The Club for Growth Blog
Bloggers in Kentucky wanting to cover the state’s upcoming legislative session were denied press passes. No suprise here. Those who work in the sausage factory don’t want uninitiated outsiders to know how it is made. UPDATE (11:20am): Caleb... [Read More]

Tracked on January 3, 2006 11:28 AM

» The Press Pass Kerfuffle - A Follow-Up from dougpetch.com
The decision to not annoint bloggists as journalists has begun to move around the wider internet over the last few days, with mentions at Tapscott's Copy Desk and National Journal's Beltway Blogroll, among others. One writer even went so far as to sugg... [Read More]

Tracked on January 3, 2006 05:45 PM

» Kentucky Bloggers Not Welcome from Conservative Musings
I'm a little late in noticing this, but it looks like us Kentucky based bloggers aren't welcome in Frankfort. The 2006 General Assembly, which opened today, has ruled to not allow bloggers in press row. I find it interesting that [Read More]

Tracked on January 3, 2006 09:16 PM

Comments

I would be interested to know about the national rate of success for bloggers seeking press credentials in their home states.

I gave up my press pass when I left my job as a television reporter. My new job is in state government, so I have not attempted to gain a credential as a blogger.

Has Mr. Glover received any feedback from bloggers about their success in doing so?

BH | 01.06.06 07:34 AM

Thanks for writing, BH. I'd be interested in hearing about bloggers' attempts to get press passes beyond Kentucky, too. I haven't heard any feedback yet, but I'll certainly provide updates here as I gather new information.

Danny | 01.06.06 07:39 AM

I was the conservative blogger quoted in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader about this. I just went out and agreed to write a column for a newspaper and they arranged for me to get press credentials. Admittedly, it is more of a back door than a gate-crashing, but I wanted the credentials more than I wanted a fight. We have to beef up the blogosphere some more (especially on the conservative side) before we can bust through the front door.

David Adams | 01.08.06 09:38 PM

Post a Comment