I got terribly ill about 2 hours ago, and couldn't go to the event. I'm live blogging it instead, watching it on CSpan 2. As I'm watching this, I might just get ill again, based on the content...
Summary
- Rick Dunhan, National Press Club president basically told all the bloggers in the room not to throw their peas.
- Panel then each talked for 5 minutes.
Started with Julie Hirschfeld Davis of the Baltimore Sun. She was interesting, talked about the history of credentialing journalists, how once upon a time journalists would part-time as lobbyists.First question from the panel moderator was for Jeff. How did he get into the White House?
Then blogger Matthew Yglesias, who rocked. Matt said that they shouldn't even be discussing if Jeff is a journalist, because he's not and not even close to being one. Matt added that just because it's hard to define a journalist doesn't mean it's not important to define one. He said it's a bit like defining baldness. If you have a full head of hair and lose a hair each day until you're bald, when are you officially "bald." It's hard to say, but doesn't mean we dispense with the term bald.
John Stanton of Congress Daily. Doesn't think we should try to figure out who is and isn't a journalist.
Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette). She was quite good. She is on the side of not trying to exclude who is a journalist.
Gannon. Gave a talk about freedom of speech, democracy, blah blah.
- Gannon: He's trying to make the distinction between hard passes and day passes. Suggested that, again, he didn't qualify for a congressional press pass so he couldn't get the White House hard pass, since the congressional pass is a prerequisite for the White House one. That's why he got the day pass. But that of course begs the question, if you didn't meet the requirements for hard pass access, is it really okay to get that access by going around the rules, getting a day pass, and using it as if it's a hard pass for repeated access over 2 years?Then Rick, the moderator, turned the discussion to the Internet, the next 10 years, how things will change.
"I've never been a political activist." Nor given a campaign contribution.
- Ok, here's my problem. Guckert should be asked to leave the room right now. If he's not on the panel to discuss his case, then why is he there? As an expert on the future of the Internet and journalism? How so?
- John Stanton suggested that he has concerns about blogs being treated as journalists, since they repeat opposition research, opinions, etc. (that's a rough summary).
- Matthew Iglesias: There's a panic over the blogs and the Internet (doesn't think it's justified).
- Ana: Gossip Web site isn't necessarily journalism, that doesn't mean the person producing the gossip can't do journalism elsewhere. Maybe your past shouldn't matter.
- John at Congress Daily. Every story on a blog has an agenda, pushing a point of a view, a party. Reporters don't, in general. Bloggers have no check on this, they're proud of it. Not a problem, doesn't make them more or less a reporter, just makes them different.
Rick the moderator: What is objective? What is fair? What is balanced?
- Gannon: Blurry lines. Should a person who writes an article then go on TV to discuss it? [Again, what is Jeff's expertise for talking about this?.]
Rick the moderator: Does the American public think we're all operatives with an agenda? Should we draw a distinction between regular reporters and people who used to be political operatives (Russert, Stephanopoulos, etc)
Matt Yglesias: Difference between formerly being an operative and currently being an operative. Gets into Thune case (Daschle race). John Thune was paying bloggers to do journalism for him. One of the concerns about Talon News, operation run by Republican party operatives at the time it was being done. It's one thing to switch, it's another to be operating currently as an operative.
I'M NOW UPDATING THE PANEL IN ADDITIONAL POSTS ABOVE.
