But,
"socializing" isn't the only thing that violates the intent of the Founding
Fathers. It probably isn't a good practice for Congress to appoint news
correspondents to determine who is or is not qualified to receive press
credentials--subject to the oversight of House and Senate leaders. Until
recently, the establishment press of "salaried agents" refused even to
acknowledge that members of the alternative press, even those who have won
awards for investigative reporting, should be allowed the privileges that
mainstream reporters are allowed.
It violates the First Amendment when police agencies and
governments at all levels decide who can or can't cover its activities. Usually,
the ones excluded are reporters who are not "agents" of an establishment media
company.
Until recently, it violated the intent of the First
Amendment when the Federal Communications Commission determined what percentage
of each day's programming should be devoted to which category because of a law
Congress created that decided electronic media, unlike print media, are required
to meet the "public interest, convenience, and necessity."
Under
Sen. Feinstein's belief of who and what a reporter is, Ben Franklin, who wrote
hundreds of articles under the byline of Silence Do-Good, and was never paid
for it, would not be considered to be a reporter.
[In a 40-year professional career, Dr.
Brasch has been a reporter and editor for newspapers and magazines, a
multimedia writer-producer, and university professor. He writes a syndicated
weekly social issues column and is the author of 18 books, most of them fusing
history with contemporary social issues. His latest book is Fracking
Pennsylvania.]
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
7
5
4
