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Bloggers Now Eligible For Press Passes In NYC

Posted by Soulskill on from the what-hath-god-wrought dept.

RobotRunAmok writes "The New York City Police Department announced Tuesday that bloggers and others who publish on the Web will now be eligible for press credentials. The move comes as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2008 by three Web journalists who were denied press passes. In New York, journalists with press passes are typically allowed to cross police barricades at public events. 'Events that will qualify include city-sponsored activity — like a press conference or parade — as well as emergencies where the city has set up do-not-cross lines. The proposal also allows inexperienced journalists to obtain single-use press passes. Longtime civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel, who represented the journalists who sued, says the city will now decide who a journalist is by looking at the type of work they do, and not the organization they write for.'"

5 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Mixed feelings. by GiveBenADollar · · Score: 1, Troll

    On one hand this is a great victory for free speech/freedom of the press. On the other hand, if they start handing out press passes to anyone then there is a real threat for terrorists to easily get their hands on press passes. I just hope they do some kind of background check first. 'Hi I'm from Al Qaeda news and would like to bring some camera equipment backstage for the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. Don't mind the canisters marked anthrax, it's the new Kodak anthrax film. '

  2. Re:great, thanks a lot by Grimbleton · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'm sorry, you're special because....?

  3. What a great idea! by BitZtream · · Score: 0, Troll

    Lets throw out the vetting process and let any douche bag who can go to an Internet cafe and login to blogspot have a press pass, great idea.

    Why not just make it so a press pass costs $5 and anyone can buy one ... I mean, thats what you've done anyway.

    No, traditional media isn't perfect and bias free, but regardless of all the political bullshit out there, I still have far more faith that I'm going to be able to filter out the bullshit from traditional media far easier than figuring out the agenda of some random blogger who's never been seen by more than 5 people before in is life.

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    1. Re:What a great idea! by lwsimon · · Score: 1, Troll

      So, you're so incapable of determining the veracity of what you're reading that you demand government get involved to restrict who can have access to news?

      I've never understood the concept of a "press pass" in the first place.

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  4. Look at the work they do by SEWilco · · Score: 0, Troll

    the city will now decide who a journalist is by looking at the type of work they do, and not the organization they write for.

    OK, that will get the New York Times out of the way of real reporters.