Since the congressional press corps' efforts to prevent me from accessing the U.S. Capitol hit the Washington Post last week, the editors of In These Times magazine have submitted formal paperwork to the Periodicals Press Gallery once again requesting a media credential for me and for the magazine's staff. This is especially pressing, since I will be in Washington from April 12 to April 24 to once again try to report my story for the magazine about progressive lawmakers in the new Congress. Here's the official letter of request:
February 14, 2007
Executive Committee of the Periodical Correspondents' Association
Periodical Press Gallery
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.Dear Executive Committee:
In These Times is a national monthly magazine based in Chicago. In January the magazine was the recipient of the Utne Reader Independent Press Award for "Best Political Coverage of 2006."
We are in the process of submitting an application for a renewal of our press credentials. In the meantime, I am writing to request temporary press credentials for David Sirota, one of our senior editors, for the period of April 12 to April 24, 2007. He is writing a story for us on the new progressive members of Congress.
In These Times has not had a writer who is a member of Periodical Press Gallery since the '80s and early '90s, when John Judis, an author and journalist, reported for us from Washington. Judis, currently a senior editor at The New Republic, had been with the magazine since its founding in 1976 and was, like Sirota, one of the magazine's senior editor. Sirota began writing for In These Times in April 2004 and has contributed 18 stories for us since then. Included with this fax is his April 2006 story, "A Primary Concern: Free Trade could be key for Democrats in '08." More of his work can be seen on www.inthesetimes.com.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call.
Yours truly,
Joel Bleifuss
Editor, 773-772-0100 x 232
This is not a partisan issue, and it's really not about me as an individual. Conservatives like Fred Barnes agree that it is outrageous for Washington reporters to try to deny other reporters access to the U.S. Capitol. It is anti-democratic behavior brought on by traditional journalists trying to create a monopoly in the face of new media threats to their dominance/relevance. And, as some top Hill staffers have noted, the media gatekeepers have doled out far more credentials to right-wing commentators/activists than they have to progressive ones.
You can email the House Periodicals Press Gallery and email the Senate Periodicals Gallery with your opinion on whether they should approve In These Times' request for credentials. Stay tuned - I will be sure to keep everyone posted about what happens.