Representatives for congressional journalists urged the Republican National Convention Committee on Monday to reconsider plans to charge reporters for workspaces at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
The Northeast Ohio Media Group reported earlier this month that journalists will not be charged to attend the convention, held in July at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, but will have to pay $150 each for a workspace that includes a writing surface and electrical outlet. According to the report, convention staffers told members of the Standing Committee of Correspondents that such spaces -- which are typically free to use at major political events -- cost $750 each to create.
In a joint statement released Monday, the chairman of that group and the chairwoman of the Executive Committee of Periodical of the Standing Committee of Correspondents expressed disappointment for the RNCC's decision to charge what they call "an access fee."
"The press, as representatives of the public, should not be charged to cover elected officials at an event of enormous interest to the public," they wrote. "The convention committee said reporters who don't pay still will be allowed into the arena. But the vantage points they will be given will not allow them to follow convention proceedings, gain access to the convention floor to interview public officials, nor file stories on the event."
"We are concerned that the proposed fee smacks of forcing the press to pay for news gathering," the statement continues. "We urge the RNCC to follow the precedent of previous conventions of both parties and drop plans for an access fee so the press can continue to inform the public about a major news event."
RNC spokeswoman Allison Moore pushed back Monday against the journalists' suggestion of an “access fee,” writing on Twitter that the only charge is for the workstation and that the party is covering 80 percent of the cost.
The RNC did not immediately return The Huffington Post's request for comment.