Restricting news conferences to working journalists?

In light of the heckling that occurred at Rep. Anthony Weiner's resignation statement, should or can anything be done to restrict news conferences to working journalists?

What have been your experiences of restrictions of attending news conferences? (I'm mainly talking about news side news conferences, but sports counts too.)

During campaign season, I regularly saw the line "credentialed media only" on the bottom of advisories for news conferences and other events. (The police department issues news media press cards, which were initially intended for emergency scenes, but have come to be used as identification for all sorts of media events.)

 

No, because government shouldn't decide who is a journalist. Sports teams, even at public colleges, are different, because they aren't strict public entities that have open-access requirements (e.g. trying to get in a closed practice).

 

I would agree. Heckling is part of the story and its not as if Weiner was going to take serious questions from serious journalists. Especially if government its extremely dangerous to start condoning restrictions of access.

 

The Cuban thread about banning bloggers has some good points on this, and yes, there should be a certification, or a license, that establishes you as a working journalist.

This does not have to be a government-run group, either. A non-profit with a board of current and retired working journalists can make up the group that awards the licenses. This group can also be the group that complaints can be filed to for unprofessional behavior or false, unsourced stories.

 

Going to be funny when it turns out this guy is a working journalist.

 

Andrea Mitchell of NBC News tweeted the following: "NY reporters say heckler was Benji from Howard Stern radio show."

 

I don't want to live in a world where Stuttering John can't ask Tommy Lasorda if he had to pay the money back to Slimfast after he got fat again.

 

Or Robert Goulet who is and what has he done.

I know, if you bend the rules for Stern, you have to bend them for everyone.

 

Personnel from "The Howard Stern Show" should not receive press passes, credentials or access to news conference. It is not a legitimate journalism organization.

 

Or when he asked Ringo Starr..

"What did you do with the money?"

"What money?"

"The money your mother gave you for singing lessons."

 

He has his own news team.

 

Mizzougrad96 -- please provide more details of Howard Stern's news team.