February 3, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

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City Announces New Press Rules
March 2nd, 2010

For all those “new media” journalists out there, the city revealed new press credential rules today — rules that are “for the online age,” officials say.

For years, the Police Department has pretty much denied a press pass to any working journalist that works online only — including reporters here at Gotham Gazette. Not having a press pass for us has restricted our access to important events integral to our coverage of city government — like the last mayoral debate. Meanwhile, reporters from more traditional newsgathering outlets — regardless of beat — were given unfettered access simply because they had press credential cards hanging around their necks.

These new rules would for the first time explicitly include online journalists as part of the city’s working press. If these rules are enacted, a reporter will now have to show six stories he or she covered within the last two years where the city restricted access.

The public comment period on the new rules starts today and continues through April 7, 2010, when the rules will have a public hearing at police headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

The full release is after the jump. The rules were published in the City Record today.

Here is the release:

New York, March 2, 2010 The City Law Department today announced the publication of proposed new rules for issuing press passes to members of the media in New York City. The rules proposed to be adopted by the Police Department modernize the Citys credentialing system to reflect changes to the media industry and, for the first time, expressly incorporate online-only media such as blogs. The new rules, which were published today in the City Record, also address the major contention in a lawsuit filed in November of 2008 that challenged the existing credentialing system.

This is a press credentialing system for the online age that can serve as a model for governments around the country, said Administrative Law Division Chief Gabriel Taussig. The rules were drafted in a collaborative process with input from numerous interested participants, together with extensive research and a public listening session with members from all segments of the media.

We have streamlined and improved New York City’s Rules for Press Credentials, said Norman Siegel, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit. The new rules will enable journalists to gather and report news in a more successful manner than before. Online journalists will now be considered as 21st century journalists and be treated equally to print, television and radio journalists.

Under the proposed new rules published today, to obtain a press credential, an applicant must show that he or she has covered, in person, six news events where the City has restricted access, within the two-year period preceding the application. In addition to employees of traditional news gathering organizations, the new rules cover self-employed newspersons and other individuals who gather and report the news. The new press card will be issued every two years.

A press card allows its bearer, with the approval of police, to cross certain barriers established by the City at news events. Many non-City entities also rely on the City press card to distinguish who is a member of the media.

The proposed rules continue the issuance of reserve cards that allow news organizations to credential a reporter for a specific assignment. The proposal also provides for the continuation of the issuance of a single event press card which will be available to journalists who have pre-registered and need the credentials to cover a single event. The reserve card and the single event card eliminate the chicken or the egg problem that exists for a prospective press card applicant who has not yet covered, in person, six news events.

The proposed rules allow for the creation of a press card, reserve card, and single event card, eliminating the Press Identification Card.

The proposed rules establish timeframes for granting or denying press card applications, and also for hearings and appeals concerning the denial of an application.

A public comment period on the proposed new rules begins today and extends through April 7, 2010. On that day, a hearing on the rules, open to the public, will be held at Police Headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

Administrative Law Division Chief Gabriel Taussig thanked those involved in the drafting of the new rules, including Senior Counsel Ave Maria Brennan (Administrative Law Division), Senior Counsel Lisa Grumet (Legal Counsel Division), Mayors Office First Deputy Press Secretary Jason Post, Police Department Assistant Deputy Commissioner Thomas Doepfner, Attorney Norman Siegel, Attorneys Scott Warren and Michael Cottler of the law firm Goodwin Procter, LLP, Attorney Steven Hyman of the law firm Mclaughlin & Stern, LLP and lawsuit plaintiffs Rafael Martinez-Alequin, David Wallis and Ralph E. Smith.

The New York City Law Department is one of the oldest, largest and most dynamic law offices in the world, ranking among the top three largest law offices in New York City and one of the largest public law offices in the country. Tracing its roots back to the 1600’s, the Department has an active caseload of 90,000 matters and transactions in 17 legal divisions. The Corporation Counsel heads the Law Department and acts as legal counsel for the Mayor, elected officials, the City and all its agencies. The Department’s 650 attorneys represent the City on a vast array of civil litigation, legislative and legal issues and in the criminal prosecution of juveniles. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/law.

By Courtney Gross on March 2, 2010, 10:58 am
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Gotham City, Law, nextNY | No Comments »

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