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Oct

26

Beyond the wonks: seeking access to Ohio GA for bloggers


The television station, NBC, uses the slogan, The More You Know to promote short pieces intended to inform us about a wide variety of topics like bullying, Internet safety, smoking, reading with your kids and HIV/AIDs.

Thoughts about those promotions came to me after reading this article by the Plain Dealer’s Aaron Marshall, in particular:

The Ohio House, without discussion, agreed 84-10 to a minor change made by Senate lawmakers to legislation banning cash prizes from video games.

Asked why lawmakers skipped the customary explanation of the change to the bill, House Speaker Jon Husted said he “didn’t think there was anyone who wanted to speak to it.”

As I read that article, I remembered how the Ohio legislature treated SB16 similarly, insofar as legislators saying very, very little on the record about the bill, and likewise HB151, the currently tabled proposal (which was done very quietly after inside negotiations) to force some of Ohio’s pensions to divest of Iran and Sudan.

And I thought about how aggravated I get when I think about how the legislature does so much that we never read about and, in fact, few people can even witness or investigate as it happens.

So, then, I started to think about the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association and its gatekeeper function over who gets to cover the statehouse directly. Here’s a little bit about them, but you can read more at their website:

OLCA functions independently to ensure only legitimate reporters are granted floor privileges in the House of Representatives and Senate. OLCA also acts as a watchdog to preserve the rights of the public and press to access government records and meetings.

“Only legitimate reporters”

Isn’t that a loaded phrase these days?

Here comes that “are bloggers journalists” thing, in a slightly different form.

As it so happens, Paul Kostyu, according to the website, is the president of the association. I shared a few minutes of “fame” on Capitol Square’s Battle of the Blogosphere edition during which he asked some often-asked and not unreasonable questions about political blogs.

This OLCA membership roster tells us more specifically. I only counted 43 individual names on it but the website says that they have more than 50. Each individual is affiliated with a newspaper, radio or television station, plus the Gongwer News Service and the AP.

As I mulled over the list, I thought about how Tom Blumer and I once exchanged some emails about a desire to get bloggers accepted into the OLCA, or the statehouse.

And I thought, we have a state of more than 9 million people over 18, and only 43 people get access to the statehouse to report what’s going on inside? Why, we have at least that many decent Ohio blogs that cover politics, with many of them doing original reporting, though, of course, not from inside the statehouse. Yet.

Now, before I get all accused of being a typical blogger maligning something she doesn’t know anything about, I will confess: I have not made a single formal inquiry yet about the group’s lean toward or away from credentialing bloggers. And of course I’m aware of the records and journals that one can look at to see what happened on any given day at the Ohio legislature (ha – have you ever tried doing that on a regular basis? not fun or easy, though better than it used to be).

But I can tell you this: As soon as I finish a current writing project, I will. Make a formal inquiry that is. I correspond regularly with several of those OLCA members, I’ve been on panels with some of them, I link to many of them and a few even have let my blog’s name roll off their tongues, among other blogs’ names.

We need to have a chat, and the time for that chat is sooner, not later.

Because in The More You Need to Know era, our legislators can choose to stay completely silent on every single issue that affects all 11 million Ohioans, and those 43 to 50 folks credentialed by the OLCA must carry the burden for the rest of us in terms of whether or not to write about, investigate or ignore our elected officials’ silence.

If that’s the way it works – emphasis on “if” until I learn more, then it just doesn’t cut it anymore.

NB: California’s legislative credentialing body started to allow in bloggers earlier this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. At a minimum, that experience should be looked at and considered, so that any fears about credentialling Ohio bloggers can be substantiated, or eliminated.

Final NB: I’ve emailed several of the OLCA members, the ones with whom I’ve crossed paths before, to let them know about this post. I am opening the conversation, not shoving it or thrusting it or waving it. They have to have been wondering when this would happen anyway, wouldn’t you think?FYI: Here are the current Ohio Senate rules regarding who can cover them. Specifically, for press privileges:

Rule 108. (Press Privileges, How Obtained.) Representatives of the press desiring the privileges of the press area of the Senate floor shall make application to the President of the Senate and shall state in writing for what paper or papers or legislative information services, magazines, or their affiliates they are employed; and shall further state that they are not engaged in the prosecution of claims pending before the General Assembly and will not become so engaged while allowed the privileges of the floor; and that they are not in any sense the agents or representatives of persons or corporations having legislation before the General Assembly, and will not become either while retaining their privileges. Visiting newspaper writers and editors may be allowed, temporarily, the privileges herein mentioned, but they must conform to the restrictions prescribed.

The application required by the above rule shall be authenticated in a manner that shall be satisfactory to the Executive Committee of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents’ Association, who shall see that the privileges of the floor be granted to representatives of the press association serving newspapers of general circulation, bona fide correspondents of reputable standing in their profession who represent newspapers of general circulation or magazines, or representatives of daily legislative information services of known standing and integrity, or their affiliates; organized for that one purpose and not controlled by or connected with an association, firm, corporation, or individual representing any trade, profession, or other commercial enterprise, and which have been in continuous and bona fide operation for such a period of years immediately prior to the date of making application for floor privileges as will have made possible the establishment of a reputation for honesty and integrity; and it shall be the duty of the Executive Committee of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents’ Association, at its discretion, to report violations of the privileges herein granted, to the Committee on Rules.

Does anyone else think that it’s kind of odd that the senators get to decide these conditions? Shouldn’t we be deciding them? A lot to think about here. Talk about the more I need to know…

Cross-posted at Wide Open.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:06 am October 26th, 2007 in Blogging, Media 

Comments

5 Responses to “Beyond the wonks: seeking access to Ohio GA for bloggers”

  1. 1 Bill Sloat on October 26th, 2007 11:10 am

    Hi Jill –

    I read your post with great interest. I think it is wrong to exclude some bloggers, or not to include them as journalists. After reading what you said, I e-mailed OLCA asking for membership. Let’s see what happens. I do think I meet all criteria.

  2. 2 Bloggers In The Statehouse? Why Not? | Ohio Valley Politics on October 26th, 2007 2:57 pm

    [...] Read More: Beyond the wonks: seeking access to Ohio GA for bloggers | Writes Like She Talks [...]

  3. 3 Scott Pullins on October 26th, 2007 9:14 pm

    Hey Jill, excellent idea. My recollection is that members can’t be lobbyists or employed by a lobbying “organization”. Other than that I don’t remember any other restrictions. Most bloggers should qualify.

  4. 4 Jill Miller Zimon on October 28th, 2007 9:37 am

    Bill – do please keep us updated. Good luck. There’s a comment on WIde Open that says that ePlurbus Media has also applied. Let’s see where that goes too.

  5. 5 Jill Miller Zimon on October 28th, 2007 9:38 am

    Thanks, Scott. You know – it’s a matter whose time has come – at least for open discussion.

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