Press Credentials, Finally!!

Saint Paul, Minnesota
March 18, 2009
By Marty Owings

On Monday this week I was informed by Andrew Whittenborg, DFL Director of Public Affairs that I would be receiving my House Press Credentials. In a brief meeting, Mr. Whittenborg told me that my application was accepted and that I could now have access to record and report from the House floor as well as committee meetings and hearings.

I expressed my interest in seeing other online Journalists credentialed and was informed that those applications were being reviewed for approval. Later that day however, I was informed by at least one online Journalist that his credentials had been denied. The Journalist, whose name I won't share here, stated that he believed his credentials were being denied because they had been revoked in the past. He said he'd "gotten in trouble" some years back for "behavior" and that's probably why he was being denied. He also asked if there should be a "statute of limitations" on his ban from the House floor.

I haven't heard from many others in the online Journalist community, but would hope that the process for them would now be much smoother. For his part Mr. Whittenborg no doubt worked hard with DFL leadership and others to make sure this issue was resolved. And despite the delays and frustrations, I think most of us genuinely appreciate the efforts being made on behalf of Journalists at the Capitol by Whittenborg and others.

My remaining concerns are simple. If there are new rules for "online" media, I haven't seen any. Perhaps we all fall under the umbrella of "Press", but then there remains the issue of updating the language to remove words like "television" and "radio", to be replaced with the more generic term "Press". If the process has not changed and the rules are what they've always been, then will every Journalist who applies for credentials have to wait two months and pester Legislators endlessly until they approve them?

My advice to anyone in a position of authority or power up at the Capitol is that you question from time to time what it is you're doing or being asked to do. If you find that it violates a principle, for example the First Amendment, that you question those above you. If you're the one making the decision you need look no further than the sacred documents our country was founded on. We aren't robots who execute our directives without question or consequence, we're Americans and we should always question things that aren't in keeping with our principles.

In the House chamber, up on the wall in big gold letters are reminders to us all of these sacred principles. It wasn't lost on me that during this whole process one of those quotes is from Thomas Paine a pamphleteer or the 1770's equivalent of a Blogger. Here is another of Mr. Paine's quotes that I enjoy, "Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing."

One last note. I was pretty tough on Chief Sergeant At Arms Sandy Dicke when all this began. As a matter of fact nearly everyone in her office knows me by name because I stopped in to see them everyday during the past seven weeks. Yes, I freely admit to being a pest, even irritating to some (my wife will support this), but I also like getting to know people. After seven weeks I can honestly say I've come to like Sergeant At Arms Dicke and many on her staff.

Let's face it, Sgt. Sandy, as I like to call her, was caught in the middle, never an enjoyable or enviable job. She was pinched between confusing and conflicting rules and having to enforce ambiguous guidelines. In the end she did so with respect and never treated me poorly, even when I might have been seen as irritating. Her staff, including Eric, Jeff and others have been polite and professional and I think we all can appreciate that, given the contentious situation.

Oh and before I forget, there's a guy up at the Capitol named Colin, he's helpful, efficient and principled. I don't need to list his last name here because everyone up there knows him. He believes in the notion that the average guy or gal is still as important as those in power. He's putting the people first at the Capitol. Nope, he's not a Law Maker or even a legislative aide, he's a Paige and Colin knows what some have forgotten or decided isn't important, that people, even those who are not in positions of power are created equal.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Colin.