On 11/4/05, Fastfission fastfission@gmail.com wrote:
On 11/3/05, Peter Mackay peter.mackay@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.
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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.