Secrets of the City

Here’s a screengrab:

I don’t think petulant stunts like this are going to get him into press events sooner.

Probably not… but I did notify one of my coworkers who is active in the SPJ. Maybe they’ll do something on his behalf.

Should we be writing Senator Coleman? Does he have a real reason for excluding them? Coleman is such an ass.

I agree with Rat — this is not the way to be considered legit. However, being a “member” of SPJ isn’t the way either — literally anyone can join, you don’t have to be a member of the media. It’s not any sort of accreditation, so slinging your SPJ card around doesn’t count for anything. And printing up your own press pass is similarly pointless since there’s no such thing as a universal press pass/license for journalists to use. You pretty much have to ride on your reputation and the reputation of your paper/mag/site/blog. Not sure this is going to help.

is chuck really a professional journalist? I thought he was just a hobbyist.

There’s no easy way. You have to be around for awhile. Earn some trust. Appear steady. It’s not a Coleman thang or a Franken thang.

I think The Uptake has a great reputation for covering politics, so therefore should be included, if that’s the criteria.

fullname: why isn’t SPJ acceptable accreditation? what would be an appropriate accreditation? that’s the problem here: i don’t want government or anyone else determining who is or isn’t “legitimate” media.

Is it the Coleman campaign/Republican Party that shut him out? We don’t know, dude. If so, that’s not government (but I suppose it would be considered “anyone else”). Not like the city council or some other government organization.

Was this a campaign press conference? If so, I suppose they can invite anyone they choose. I don’t see where an SPJ card allows you to go wherever you want.

Well, I guess SPJ doesn’t land in the acceptable acceditation category for me because it’s not an accreditation organization. That’s not their purpose, not what they do. I’m not pro-government or any sort of accreditation process; like I said, I think it’s more about the reputation of the work you do than what laminate you pull out of your wallet that should be the basis for who is “legitimate.” I’m also not saying the Uptake shouldn’t be allowed in, I’m simply saying citing your SPJ membership is as useful as pulling out your Blockbuster card and claiming you’re a movie critic.

You can go to http://www.spj.org yourself and see – depending on which qualifications you meet or don’t meet, anybody with $36 to $90 (+$15 for MN SPJ, if you’re “fair” about it) burning a hole in their pocket can become a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Ultimately, it’s the people holding the press conference who get to decide who they want to consider “press.” I don’t feel like saying whether it’s right or wrong that The Uptake was denied access.

(I’m kinda repeating what fullname has already said, better than me and twice)

Thanks, that’s what the Internet is all about.

Ultimately, it’s the people holding the press conference who get to decide who they want to consider “press.” I don’t feel like saying whether it’s right or wrong that The Uptake was denied access.

By law, if you say a press conference is open to the press, you don’t then get to pick and choose who you think is a member of the press and who you don’t. There is no central accrediting group for the press. The SPJ is just as good for establishing your credientials as anything.

It’s not just the card, looks like he might be wearing a Fedora hat, as well.

Or perhaps you can’t exclude them because they don’t agree with you. I’m trying to track down the law regarding this right now.

I wonder if he tried putting the press pass in his hat band? It would be pretty difficult to deny entrance to anyone with that setup.

What a surprise: The Rat scowls at someone making a protest of some form.

Is a fedora any worse than Eskola’s scarves?

Is there really any law that governs this?

Well, I know that people in government have tried to exclude journalists simply because they disagreed with their politics, and that the courts have ruled that if you say an event is open to the press, you can’t keep someone out because you don’t like his opinion.

I’m still checking to see if there have been any rulings regarding excluding someone because you simply have decided he’s not a member of the press at all.

What would get Chuck into the press conference is if all the other “journalists” in attendance would say: “No Chuck, no us,” and then Norm or his people could talk to an empty room. Anyway, the people who attend press conferences and record them should actually be referred to as “stenographers.” I’ll go back to being an ex-journalist now.

Is a fedora any worse than Eskola’s scarves?

The Capitol is a cold building.
———-
Nick Coleman +2 for making funny jokes in that video.

That would get Chuck in, Tom. Maybe Chuck should be working that angle on this.

Don’t you love a nice transparent government? It’s stuff like this that created the situation that cost the Republicans the presidency and control of both houses. Keep it up soon they will all be lobbists.

Well, I won’t be going to any of Coleman’s press conferences until he lets Chuck in. But, then, I think if I showed up, I’d be barred at the door as well.

GOD DAMN IT I WAS A THEATER CRITIC FOR CITY PAGES ONCE.

Sounds like Chuck has looked into it and, if the press conference is on private property, they can deny him (not so on public property, like the capitol). So what recourse does he have? I’d say trying to humiliate then as he is doing is an option. Don’t know if it will work or not, but this is the sort of thing that people really only try to get away with when they aren’t called on it. Making a big enough stink might get them to reverse their position.

It’s probably not the same here, I don’t know with politics, but freelancers often get press credentials to events if they are “on assignment” from a recognized organization. Sometimes they need letters if they’re strict about it.

If I had a blog or a website called Ratalley.com they’d ask whatthehell that was, and I’d have to say, “well, it’s me.” Chances are, they wouldn’t consider me on assignment, but just a guy who wanted to get in and sit the press room and wander about an event.

But I know plenty of online organizations that get full press credentials and are in good standing in several industries. But they didn’t get there this way.

30-40% of your body heat is lost through the head, kevin. A fedora is going to be of more use than a scarf.

Three bald men can heat a gymnasium. I often get part-time work using my thinning pate as a space heater.

Here’s legitimate media.

That MDE guy might be doing some consulting work for the Republicans as well, but I can’t be sure.

FYI it was Tom Elko kicked out today.

I’m a member of the Society of Professional Journalists — more soon, back to FAIL!

Don’t Bogart the company Fedora, Chuck.

30-40% of your body heat is lost through the head, kevin. A fedora is going to be of more use than a scarf.

Yeah, but we’re talking about the media here. Their heads are empty but their heart is in the right place, hence scarfs.

Picking a fight with Chuck is not a very smart strategy, IMHO. No offense to Mr. Olson and his pals at the UpChuck, that that scappy little lefty leaning online thang is not likely to cause too much trouble for the Senator.

That is, unless you pick on one of it’s top reporters/editors, a guy who “pals around” with other journalists. The fact that a CBS teevee reporter is interested should give the Coleman campaign fits right now. Many of us used to be reporters, columnists, editors, publishers, etc. and we still have many many friends and contacts in the business. Some of us are still in the business. In other words, there is plenty of media clout in the room right now.

Like kwatt, I have to work with reporters I don’t particularly like, who will often paint my organization or program in the worse possible way. Yet they also might do a story we really want out there. So we deal with it. It’s what professionals learn to do.

Norm’s been a US Senator for 6 years, and a mayor of a major city (no jokes!) before that. From a media relations point of view, denying Chuck entrance to the conference is a bush league stunt. It’s the kind of thing that can bite you in the butt, and almost always does.

Like kwatt, I have to work with reporters I don’t particularly like,

Speak for yourself Mustache. I like all reporters.

we’re a likeable bunch. just ask the general public.

PS: Not only do I have the fedora, I’ve got the raincoat, too.

Some looks never go out of style…

“I like all reporters.”

Heh. Liar!

From a purely practical point of view, Norm would have been better off to let UpTake in and let what he had to say be seen by their smallish audience. Instead, banning UpTake makes him look like an ass to a much larger audience. Of course, he has the 206 vote mandate, so he can do whatever he wants. Also, of course, that much larger audience that we and Chuck’s friends reach are not exactly Norm’s core constituency. So Jason, are you doing a story on this?

What’s really problematic for Coleman is there isn’t a consistent stated policy. I’ve run enough contentious press conferences to know that your media policy, including bloggers and independent media, needs to be front and center — standards for follow up questions, who can be in the room, etc.etc.etc. That Coleman’s people are continually pounding their head against the wall on this is baffling. They’re not rank amateurs…so why are they acting like they are?

They asked, “What makes a journalist” in the video and no one from the Coleman camp could answer that question. If they want to exclude someone for some reason, they should have a written policy stating who is and who is not allowed. So, if someone asks, “What makes a journalist” the people can say, “Someone who has this” or “Someone who works for that” Instead the Coleman people get to say, “You are free to leave” like schmoes.

Tom, it doesn’t really fit into the “Good Question” format. But I have alerted the local SPJ chapter, and the President of the National SPJ is here in Minnesota, and I’m told they’re on the case.

I hate to say it, but I’m not sure many people outside of this group care who Norm Coleman lets into a news conference.

@jderusha – You are probably right, but thanks for being supportive and contacting the SPJ president!

@TBartel – It really would’ve been easier for everyone to just let us in and stream live video of his press event. Everybody would be happy. Obviously, not letting us in to some press events doesn’t change the stories we’re going to do, but it does create a new story that makes them look bad.

In my live video today I mentioned a short conversation with Roger Buoen at MinnPost, former managing editor of the Strib. He said it’s a tough issue, and the best way to get access is to establish relationships over time like Strib/MinnPost veteran reporters have done. I think that’s wise, and wish we’d gotten off to a better start with Coleman’s staff.

“I think that’s wise, and wish we’d gotten off to a better start with Coleman’s staff.”

Step one: Tell Tom he can’t keep wearing his Franken t-shirt to Coleman’s news conferences.

Just for the record, I was very polite upon entry. I didn’t have my camera rolling, I identified myself openly. When entry was denied I tried to engage in a civil conversation. In the end I was left no choice but to turn the camera on and confront the staffer, at which point I was still being pretty polite.

I’ve been a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists for two years now, was accepted into a journalism training fellowship at Michigan State’s Knight School of Environmental Journalism, and have had my blog recognized as a serial publication by the Library of Congress (1940-3933). Despite the fact that I wasn’t ever given an answer as to why I wasn’t allowed in, I would venture to say it wasn’t because I’m not a journalist, but because I was with the UpTake.