[Foundation-l] Wikinews is giving out press credentials

[Lars Aronsson]

Jean-Baptiste Soufron wrote:

> Unions accreditating journalists will certainly be mad at it (as 
> in France), and it would picture the foundation as a liable 
> editor rather as a not-liable publisher.

This will most certainly be different in different countries, and 
we should be careful to use the right names and phrases for the 
simple goals we want to achieve.  What I imagine that Wikinews 
reporters want is a useful way to answer the question "who are 
you, and who sent you here?" at the door of a press conference.
It need not be the press room of the U.S. president or the U.N. 
general secretary, perhaps only the mayor of Hoboken, N.J.

I can say "I'm Lars Aronsson, only representing myself", but that 
probably won't open the door for me.  It would be a lie to say 
that "I'm a reporter for Le Monde", so I won't try that either.  
If I say that "I'm a reporter for the Aronsson Daily", they might 
never have heard about this newspaper and could want to check with 
the editors if I'm actually telling the truth.

As the legal officer of Wikimedia Foundation, what do you 
recommend that the Wikinews reporters say at the door, that will 
help them get in?  What kind of document should they show?

Suppose that I could at least show a business card with my name, 
the title "volunteer reporter" and the logotype and address of 
"Aronsson Daily". I think this could help when I say I'm reporting 
for them.  It wouldn't have any "official" status such as the U.K. 
"press pass", but it would be obvious that only a limited number 
of people could legitimately carry business cards with this 
company's logotype.  And no newspaper would send two reporters to 
the same event that didn't know of each other.

Are the proposed "press credentials" of Wikinews anything more 
than business cards?  Obviously they are not a "press pass".  What 
are they really?  What are the important differences?


-- 
  Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
  Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se