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Back in January of 2008 BlogHer lobbied the LAPD for press credentials. We were denied. But it seems times, they are a changing.
The New York Police Department has announced it will allow online journalists to get press credentials, so long as they have reported on at least six events in the city in the past two years. This basically means that bloggers get press passes.
The Gothamist reports this comes after a long saga of lawsuits,
The rules have been revised in response to a lawsuit brought by Norman Siegel on behalf of three online journalists who had their applications for press passes denied. Some reporters have criticized the NYPD's vague process for determining who gets press passes, and one former Newsday reporter filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming that his rejection was "strictly retaliatory" because of his past reportage on NYPD issues.
Out of curiosity I went to check on LAPD's press credential process, and it appears the same as before.
To date, New York's police department is the only agency specifically mentioning "online media" in their credentialing process.
Rory O'Connor is calling this a victory for online journalism:
Perhaps this decision will finally put an end to one of the longest-running (and frankly dumbest) debates in the history of modern media: “Are bloggers journalists?”
The Publicity Hound writes:
New York City’s decision is a huge victory for bloggers, even though it resulted after a lawsuit. Let’s hope other cities extend the same courtesy.
Lauren Hatch says this makes bloggers "legit" in New York City, however longtime NYC blogger Liza Sabater isn't so sure.
Sabater tweets, "NYPD really doesnt care. the issue with accreditation was bloomberg who didnt want scrutiny from indie journos"
Regardless, bloggers are now eligible right alongside mainstream media.
Contributing Editor Erin Kotecki Vest also blogs at Queen of Spain blog
Politics & News Contributing Editor Erin Kotecki Vest