Press pass

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An example of a press pass issued by the San Francisco PD.
An example of a press pass issued by the San Francisco PD.

A press pass (alternately referred to as a ‘journalist pass’ or a ‘press card’) grants some type of special privilege to journalists. There are many varieties of press passes: some are issued by news organizations or law-enforcement agencies, others by event organizers for a specific single affair (such as a corporate press conference). Reporters, therefore, may hold multiple press passes simultaneously. [1]


Contents

[edit] Issued by Law-Enforcement

[edit] Press Cards

A Denver press pass.
A Denver press pass.

Police departments at a city, county, or state/provincial level may issue press passes.[1] Such passes allow the bearer to cross police or fire lines to report breaking news, or grant access to crime scenes or other restricted areas[2] -– though admission may be denied if it would interfere with the duties of emergency personnel.

Because of the exceptional dispensation endowed by police press passes, they are issued with discretion – some jurisdictions interview all prospective applicants.[3] Generally, only reporters who cover breaking news are eligible[2]; other journalists (feature writers and photographers, editors and editorialists, freelance writers, and bloggers) are not. [3]

Police-issues passes do not grant access to government press conferences, or any other such privileges – they are only recognized by emergency response personnel, and only valid within the jurisdiction of the issuing agencies.

[edit] Press Parking Permits

Police parking permits, issued in some jurisdictions, exempt news vehicles from certain parking restriction while on the job. They may be offered to any news-gathering organization that covers breaking news, for use in company vehicles used by its full-time reporters, photographers, and camera operators. Often, these permits are only granted to journalists who already carry a police press card.

When conspicuously displayed, these permits may allow the bearer to park in restricted ‘resident-only’ parking zones, and may exempt the vehicle owner from parking-meter costs. These privileges apply only for the duration of the breaking news event being covered, and do not nullify all parking restrictions: red zones, hydrants, crosswalks, bus zones, disabled parking zones or access ramps, commercial loading zones, taxi cab zones, no stopping or no parking zones, transit lanes and other towaway zones are still off-limits.[2]

[edit] Event-Specific Press Passes

Press pass to the 2005 WTO conferance in Hong Kong
Press pass to the 2005 WTO conferance in Hong Kong

For tradeshows, community gatherings, sporting events, award shows, professional conferences, or major events of any type, press passes are generally available. These are sometimes referred to as ‘press badges’.[4] For event organizers, media involvement is not only desirable – it is often requisite of the event’s success. What privileges press badges offer, and who is eligible to receive them, depends on the nature of the affair.

Generally, prospective recipients must apply in advance, offering evidence of their credentials. Event sponsors may request past published material, or a letter from the news agency (using the company letterhead) detailing the job assignment.[5][6] Generally, non-reporting employees of news agencies (executives, sales personnel, publishers, editors, etcettera) are not eligible for press passes.[7] In addition to traditional journalists, prominent (and sometimes not-so-prominent) bloggers may be granted event passes.[4][8]

Many major events, especially tradeshows, will issue a press kit to pass-bearers.[9] A press pass may allow the bearer to request interviews with noteworthy attendants, and special rooms are sometimes set aside for this purpose. [5][10]

[edit] Open Events

For activities open to the public, like community gatherings, school events, or tradeshows, a press pass may offer nothing more than free or reduced admission[11][12] or guaranteed entry – though the benefits may be far more extensive, granting access to front-row seats or to press-only rooms. [5] For sporting events, a press pass issued by a stadium grants access to the press box.[13] Because open events are usually funded by paying attendees, the number of press passes may dependant on the number of tickets sold.[14]

[edit] Closed Events

For events closed to the general public, a press pass will grant access. Greater exclusivity, however, means more restrictions on potential pass recipients. For professionally conferences or tradeshows, passes may be granted only to journalists with a title of ‘industry analyst,’ [15] or with an editorial or reporting designation.[16].

[edit] News Agency Press Cards

Press card issued by Wikinews.
Press card issued by Wikinews.

All major journalistic agencies issue press cards to their reporters, editorialists, writers, and photographers. These do not have the legal merits of government-issued cards, and they will not replace event-specific cards. The card only serves as proof of its bearer’s status as a journalist. As such, card-carriers may be better able to obtain interviews, acquire information from law-enforcement, or gain access to exclusive venues. [17]

For freelance journalists, The National Writer’s Union issues press passes to approved applicants -- for a fee.[18]

[edit] Fake Cards

Various organizations offer, for a fee, disingenuous press passes[19]; some websites detail instructions on producing fake cards. [17]Joan Stewart of the Public Relations Society of America reports, “Fake press passes abound at restaurant and theater openings, sporting events, music festivals, political rallies, celebrity parties and even crime scenes. With a decent computer and color printer, almost anybody can crank out an official-looking pass within minutes.”[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Photos of Christian Gulker’s Press Passes
  2. ^ a b c Applying for A SFPD Press Pass. SFPD Public Affairs Office. City and County of San Francisco Police Department. Retrieved on January 4, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Dobkin, Jake (April 27, 2005). Help Gothamist Get a Press Pass. SFPD Public Affairs Office. City and County of San Francisco Police Department. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
  4. ^ a b scriptingnews (January 7, 2007). How I got my press badge for CES. flickr. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Press/Analyst FAQs. International CES. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
  6. ^ ISDM/ECCB 2007 Press Pass Application
  7. ^ Supply Side Show: Press Registration Form
  8. ^ Vargas, Jose Antonio (May 14, 2006), "What Press Pass? At E3, a Convergence of Card-Carrying Bloggers", The Washington Post: D01
  9. ^ Olbermann, Keith (February 17, 2005). Press pass bypass. Bloggermann. MSNBC. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
  10. ^ United States Senate Daily Press Gallery: Frequently Asked Questions
  11. ^ iHollywoodForum: Press Pass
  12. ^ ISMD 2006 Media Invitation
  13. ^ MSNBC, "Bloggermann" by Kieth Olbermann
  14. ^ DEMO: Press Pass Request
  15. ^ Cambridge Health Institution: Press Registration
  16. ^ Drug Information Association: Press Pass Information
  17. ^ a b Crashing the Oscars - How to Make a Fake Press Pass
  18. ^ National Writer’s Union: Membership Benefits -- Press Pass
  19. ^ order a press pass
  20. ^ Stewart, Joan. "Guard the shrimp bowl!: How to spot fake press passes", PR Tactics, Public Relations Society of America, April 26, 2006. Retrieved on January 4, 2007.http://www.prsa.org/supportfiles/news/viewNews.cfm?pNewsID=262

[edit] External Links

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