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[i]And what if the attendee in question IS a blogger who started a site a few days ago, and still wants in?[/i]

Then there's no point in having this rule. Either close the executive sessions to everyone, or eliminate executive sessions.

Because if ANYONE can get into an executive session by simply creating a blogger.com account and signing a piece of paper, then everyone can.

And keep in mind that the notion of "disclosure" is much more complex than whether something is printed in the paper or on a blog.

For example, let's say we're talking about a case where a supervisor is accused of sexually harassing one of the employees he manages. The council goes into executive session, investigates the situation, and decides that the supervisor has done nothing wrong. They exonerate him.

Now, let's say that the supervisor is in the midst of a nasty divorce/custody battle.

Under your new rules, the supervisor's ex-wife (or her lawyer) can get a blogger.com account, and then be admitted into that executive session as a "journalist".

That's a terrible idea.

Either there needs to be some kind of bright-line rule here that makes the executive sessions confidential, or there's no point in pretending they're confidential.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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What's "hefty" -- when we're talking about disclosures that could easily get the city sued for a million bucks or more? Or do we say that the journalists invited have to sign an indemnification contract (where they agree to pay the costs of any lawsuits they cause)?

Again, I'm not talking about legit bloggers and journalists misbehaving. The problem is drawing a line between a legit blogger (like Bunster or you) and some jackass who decides on a Tuesday that he wants in to the Thursday exec session - and starts a blogger.com account.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Um, Steven, you need to pay a bit closer attention. We're talking about executive sessions here, not the regular public meetings. Executive sessions are the ones where they're discussing personnel issues or confidential contracts, etc.

That's it. Not all the rest of the usual stuff.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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"Unless the session deals with an issue with a minor, or employee discipline..."

Well, that IS basically what we're talking about. I don't know anything about the sewer situation, but I can imagine that another class of confidential discussions relates to proposed contracts - which include contractor's trade secrets and bids. (And if they're not kept confidential, some firms won't bid.)

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Remember that we're talking about executive sessions - which generally are personnel issues. It's not enough to fine someone after the fact. At the point, the city has helped violate the confidentiality of an employee - and could be sued for LOTS of money.

Let's talk about an example.

* There's a city cop who is alleged to have engaged in some misbehavior. Let's say, the allegation is that he's hanging out with some bad guys.

* The city council goes into executive session to discuss the situation.

* One of the bad guys goes to blogger.com, starts a blog, writes a couple of quick posts, and then asks to be allowed into the executive session.

Clearly, this guy ain't a journalist. But the executive session is almost surely going to include some information that shouldn't be out in the public.

What do you do?

That's the issue here -- not whether bloggers should get access. It's whether the public, any member of the public, should get access to executive sessions by simply starting a blogger.com account.

After-the-fact removal of privileges and fines won't work, because by then the damage has been done. In a LOT of these cases, there's only going to be a single executive session that the person is going to be interested in. And once they're in, the damage is done.

How do you distinguish a legit blogger/journalist from a member of the public with an axe to grind?

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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As I argued on the air, a journalist isn't a journalist unless they have an audience. (Without an audience, it's just a diary.)

So, the city governments could require a very low threshold of readership. Say, perhaps, 1000 readers a day - for at least the previous six months.

That criteria, in combination with others, would ensure that we're at least talking about someone who has readers - as opposed to some activist with an axe to grind.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Kari Chisholm here. I argued on the air that the first standard for defining a "journalist" is to insist that they ought to be part of some organization of professional journalists.

Both Mayor Hammerstad and Dean Gleason jumped on the word "accredited".

Both of them argued that there's no organization that does "accreditation". That's basically true, except that there ARE organizations of professional journalists and they do have membership rules.

For example, here's one list (found via Google in about 90 seconds):

Alliance for Community Journalism
American Society of Newspaper Editors
American Amateur Press Association
American Copy Editors Society
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
American Press Institute
American Society of Business Publication Editors
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Asian American Journalists Association
Associated Collegiate Press
Association for Business Communication
Association of Electronic Journalists
Association of Young Journalists
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism
Committee of Concerned Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
DowJones Newspaper Fund
Eastern Canadian News Photographers Association
Foundation for American Communications
Institute for Analytic Journalism
Institute on Political Journalism
International Association for Media & Communication Research
International Center for Journalists
International Communication Association
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
International Press Institute
International Freedom of Expression Exchange
International Women's Media Foundation
Internet Press Guild
International Reporters & Editors
Journalism Education Association
Media Alliance
National Public Broadcasting Archives
National Association of Black Journalists
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
National Press Club
National Scholastic Press Association
Newspaper Association of America
National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
National Conference of Editorial Writers
National Federation of Press Women
National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting
Native American Journalists Association
Newspaper Guild of America
National Association of Black Journalists
Native American Journalists Association
National Press Photographers Association
Nieman Foundation for Journalism
Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association
Pew Center for Civic Journalism
Project Censored
Project for Excellence in Journalism
Pulitzer Center
Radio and Television News Directors Association and Foundation
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Reporters Without Borders
South Asian Journalists Association
Society of Environmental Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
South Asian Research Centre for Advertisement, Journalism & Cartoons
Student Press Law Center
Trade, Association and Business Publications International

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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