State officials in Kentucky are telling bloggers to "stay home."
In their infinite wisdom, Kentucky has decided that bloggers are not journalists and won't be provided press credentials to cover state legislative sessions. These credentials allow journalists to access the floors of the House and Senate, as well as the Capitol which are closed to the general public.
Lexington Herald-Leader | 12/31/2005 | No press credentials, state tells bloggers
What should stand out to those of you who don't blog is the swipe taken at bloggers in the article:
"This is irritating to a group that, by nature, tends to wake up cranky on the best of days."
I don't know about John Cheves, but I only wake up cranky when I have to read smarmy comments in news stories which is precisely why Kentucky should revisit their decision. I mean, it's one thing for me to be sarcastic and assume a particular point of view because I'm not a NEWS REPORTER. The press thumb their collective noses all they want to, blogs and bloggers aren't going away.
More importantly though, why can't an average citizen (read: non-press member) get access to a legislative session in Kentucky? If our form of government is of, for and by the people, then why can't "the people" get in?
That's a problem.
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com
