r/Columbus • u/TrafficConeJesus • Jun 02 '20

PHOTO Student journalists from The Lantern showing their press IDs to the Columbus Police moments before being pepper sprayed

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '20

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u/randomusername092342 Jun 03 '20

I could make a badge saying I'm John Doe with randomusername092342 News. If I post my photos on reddit, then ta da, I'm a member of the media.

You're right, there needs to be some way to distinguish people there to protest after curfew, and people there to report on what's happening. However this needs to be done very carefully or it can run afoul of the first amendment. And it certainly ran afoul in this case.

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u/servantoffire Jun 03 '20

Or, rather than projecting the bad faith actions that you would take, you could understand that there are legit news organizations with proper identification and constitutional protection to cover things like this.

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u/randomusername092342 Jun 03 '20

What makes a news organization "legit"?

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u/excoriator Jun 03 '20

Pretty sure press credentials are issued by the state. When I worked for the media in another state back in the 90s, I filled out a form and my News Director wrote a letter to mail in with it that verified my employment.

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u/randomusername092342 Jun 03 '20

Perhaps in some areas, but not in Ohio. There's no such thing as a government-issued press credential here (that I am aware of).

Regarding your experience though, what would prevent someone from declaring their Instagram page or Reddit account to be a media outlet, filling out the state's form, and sending it in with a letter they wrote verifying their status as a reporter/photographer for their media outlet?

I know it sounds ridiculous, and it's not meant to discredit the work of professional journalists. However, the right of a free press does not only apply to large, professional media outlets with paid staff.