[Foundation-l] Wikinews is giving out press credentials

[Clare-Marie White]

on 11/11/05 12:54 pm, Daniel Mayer at maveric149 at yahoo.com wrote:

> ŒPress Credentials¹ also has
> a very specific meaning in many countries and legislation of those countries
> and/or press union rules provide guidelines that organizations need to follow
> to give out credentials.

I think there is certainly a double use of the word credential that applies
to both uses.

In Britain, if you join the National Union of Journalists you get a press
card which is nationally recognised, you are put on a database held by the
police and you are supposed to be accepted as a journalist by official state
institutions including the army. To get this, by the way, you just have to
be a paying member of the NUJ and while you will have been nominated there
is no way for these officials to know that you are actually a good
journalist working for anyone.

Now, many organisations will give out separate press credentials to those
who apply, many of whom will not have an official press card. You simply
need to persuade them to that you work for the person you say you are and
this is usually done by the publication in question giving you an
accreditation letter.

Wikinews's scheme is exactly the same as that: it shows simply that a
wikinewsy is trusted by the community which in an organisation where anyone
can write is vital for the organisation to build a level of credibility by
producing first hand reporting.

I think for an international website, the system is as good as it can be -
it doesn't make any false promises and it doesn't supercede any national
laws in place, it is simply a tool for wikinewsies and press officers.

> All I want are some high level safeguards built
> in so that the foundation can protect its good name and for the foundation to
> give its permission for its marks and logos to be used on press badges.

Well, can we apply to the board for approval of the system as it is and for
them to say they are happy for the community to run it (or with amendments
that could be discussed), with a named board member to turn to should
anything get nasty?

Clare (Cmwhite)