I've been meaning to post about this item I spotted on the LAT's Political Muscle blog at the beginning of the month.
The Capitol Correspondents Association adopted a new set of by-laws allowing bloggers to receive a Capitol press credential IF at least 50% of their income comes from blogging.
This is pure guild mentality at work. The mainstream press don't want to just bar bloggers altogether -- that would be too illiberal and close-minded, and they don't want to appear closed-minded and illiberal.
Then again, they don't want to surrender control over access to their sources -- they don't want anymore competition from the biosphere than already exists.
Hence the new 50% rule. It gives bloggers access -- technically, at least -- but keeps the barrier to entry high enough to keep the great majority of bloggers out. Thus FDA, only one blogger has been awarded this precious credential: Frank Russo of the California Progress Report. Read his posting here about it, and his recounting of the apparent panic among Capitol reporters who had spotted him under the dome on a previous occasion and were wondering how he got in: "A blogger? In here? Who let in the competition?"
I don't need a Capitol press credential in order to operate this blog, but even if I wanted one the Capitol Correspondents Association's rules would disqualify me because under their arbitrary, protectionist rule, this blog is not a legitimate news source.
It's my belief such rear-guard, guild-mentality holding actions are ultimately doomed by time and technology. The Capitol Correspondents Association may continue attempting to play gatekeeper by whispering the secret password to select bloggers, but that whole edifice will eventually come down.
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