Who gets a press pass?

A question of credentials

Journalists, governments and press advocates have long contended with the issue of who should get official press passes, which provide access to meetings, news conferences and government buildings.

Now the rise of independent journalists has intensified the debate.

In Salt Lake City, Bryan Schott of the Utah Political Watch has sued state legislative staffers after being denied credentials based on a new policy that “blogs, independent media outlets or freelance media do not qualify for credentials,” reports the Salt Lake Tribune’s Sean P. Means. The complaint argues the policy revision was “likely intended to target Schott.”

In Hawaii, eight state senators have introduced legislation that could subject journalists to a “code of ethics” in which a state-run journalism ethics commission would investigate complaints against members of the media, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat. Penalties could involve unspecified fines and “suspension or revocation of state media privileges.”

The issue is also playing out in Washington, D.C., where the Trump White House has said it would allow media podcasters and influencers to apply for credentials, as reported by VOA. The announcement has prompted a wave of applications from creators —  7,400 of them to be exact, writes Aisha Counts of Bloomberg News.

• Related: The reshuffling of the Pentagon press corps is a warning (CJR)

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> U.S. immigration is gaming Google to create a mirage of mass deportations (The Guardian)

Old government press releases about deportations of immigrants have been “updated” with new time stamps to boost their visibility in search results, writes Dara Kerr. Immigration lawyers told Kerr they believe the move is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts to inundate people with deportation news.

>> Webinar: Navigating legal risks for nonprofit news organizations (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) 

RCFP will hold a training session Tuesday Feb. 11 at noon ET to discuss the legal and regulatory threats facing nonprofit news organizations. Topics covered will include tax management, fundraising regulations, the relationship between editorial decision-making and nonprofits’ 501(c)(3) status. Register here.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> The burden of bearing witness: The emotional toll on journalists of color (palabra, NAHJ)

When she was at the Arizona Mirror, reporter Laura Gómez Rodríguez was the sole woman and person of color at the small nonprofit newsroom in Phoenix. She was also covering the difficult topic of immigration, which left her with mental health struggles arising from what she witnessed. Eventually she left. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists says Rodríguez’s story is an example of how trauma can hit women and journalists of color the hardest.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> New from API: Get started with community listening with this workbook from the American Press Institute (Better News)

If your newsroom is thinking about starting a community listening program, here is a good place to start: We have assembled a workbook that lays out six steps to help you better understand your community, build trust and deepen engagement. The workbook was developed for an API sprint on community listening for alumni organizations of the Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program.

>> Learning about AI? Here are two upcoming AI events of note

• Online course: AI in the workplace (Associated Press)

The AP will be hosting an online course and workshop on the next three Tuesdays (starting Feb. 11) from 11 to 12:30 p.m. ET. Staff from the newswire along with special guests will present technical demos, real-world case studies and talk about the ethical considerations of AI. Register here. 

•  Join the Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit May 7–8 (Hacks/Hackers)

API’s Elite Truong will be among the speakers at a summit in May to discuss how newsrooms should use AI to help audiences understand and engage with the news. She’ll be presenting a framework for understanding and prioritizing problems that could — or shouldn’t — be solved by AI. Register here.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> New from API: Mapping your local influencer landscape

Newsrooms can work with local influencers to connect with audiences in ways that traditional engagement can’t. As part of API’s ongoing work on influencer collaborations, news consultant Adriana Lacy has put together guidance for newsrooms on a range of considerations including choosing the right influencers, the right platforms and the right tone to ensure alignment with your audience.

>> Small news outlets focused on federal staffers are landing big scoops, and traffic is surging (CNN)

Small publications like the Federal News Network and Government Executive that specialize in covering the federal workforce have experienced a boost in traffic as the Trump administration moves to shrink the government, writes Liam Reilly. Because of their sources and expertise, these Beltway-centered outlets are “uniquely well-sourced for this stressful moment,” Reilly writes.

• Related: White House says it will cancel $8 million in Politico subscriptions after a false right-wing conspiracy theory spreads (CNN)

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What else you need to know

📝 $3M gift endows Local News Network Chair at Merrill College (University of Maryland)

👋 Meet the first-ever policy and advocacy director at LION Publishers (Nieman Lab)

👀 Pro-Trump media sees nothing but the president ‘winning’ (The New York Times)

💶 Le Monde CEO: Digital subscriber revenue will pay for entire newsroom within two years (Press Gazette)

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Weekend reads

+ Opinion: Settlements with Trump are weakening press freedoms (The New York Times)

+ The Bulwark is leading the anti-Trump resistance (New York Magazine)

+ What went wrong at the National Trust for Local News? (Poynter)

+ Elon Musk is making X into his own digital Mar-a-Lago (The Washington Post)

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