On 11/3/05, Peter Mackay
<peter.mackay(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
WikiNews has a policy
(
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Accreditation_policy) which seems to
work. Not everyone is a Wikipedia (or WikiNews) editor and not every editor
gets accreditation - just those who get a consensus on application.
The big benefit would be closer photographer access to events and
photo-opportunities, resulting in photographs which aren't subject to the
usual restrictions if we source them elsewhere.
As I understand it, one only gets closer access if the accreditation
is recognized by the event coordinator -- my point is that I doubt
they would be. "Have been an unproblematic member of a website for a
few weeks" is a pretty low bar to set for who counts as a journalist;
I don't think most places are going to buy that. If we set the bar
high enough for them to recognize it, it would kill the point of
Wikinews. Ergo, the problem -- if we accredit in the spirit of
Wikinews, then it would have no worth in the eyes of the outside
world; if we accredit in the spirit of the outside world, then it is
incompatible with the point of Wikinews.
Of course, if they *do* recognize such passes, then the argument is
proven wrong. But I'd be surprised if they were worth much. But I'll
qualify that by also noting that times are changing a bit -- bloggers
are issued press passes, I hear -- and so I could be wrong, if not
now, then in the future.
FF
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We've had this discussion quite a bit on Wikinews -- accreditation
does you little good unless a press pass is also issued by whatever
event/organization/governmental agency you wish to cover. Some have
discussed a meta press corps -- would the bar be higher there than on
Wikinews? Our concept of an accredited wikinewsie is still citizen
journalist. This is a radical concept, of course, and I'm not sure the
world is ready to deal with it.
-N.