Pundits, Talk heads, Spokesmen, Commentators, Experts, Authors, Fellows Who are all these people cluttering up "news" shows and why do we listen to them? What justifies inviting them into our living rooms?
Are they providing useful information or spin? Are they providing thoughtful analysis or regurgitating talking points? Are they generating light or heat? Don't answer...those are rhetorical questions, the sort of questions infotainment fluffers are famous for asking.
This race to the bottom has a corrosive effect on our society. When things get completely out of hand, the press will spend a news cycle or two wringing their hands in public displays of self-examination... before they cut to a commercial about an upcoming story that trivializes everything they just said.
Well folks, the upcoming Yearly Kos offers us a Golden Opportunity to break this cycle of nonsense and trivialization...or at least put a dent in it.
It's really simple. All it takes is for the people issuing credentials to Color Code The Tags. I will lay out a suggested format, but one that can easily be modified to meet the needs of the moment (because logistics do matter).
Anyone seeking press credentials has to fill out a form. On the form they have to declare their status. Categories are mutually exclusive.
They would include the following:
Commentator
Hired Gun
Pundit
Spokesman
Blogger
Columnist
Journalist
Reporter
I'm sure other categories may recommend themselves to readers and I would love to hear them. For now, let's take the last two first. Journalists and Reporters would get Gold passes.
Journalists, you would have to meet the following criteria:
a) full-time employment on the staff of a mass circulation daily or weekly newspaper.
b) member in good standing with the Society for Professional Journalists.
c) sign a declaration of adherence to the Society for Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics
Reporters, you would have to meet the following criteria:
a) full-time employment on the staff of a wire service, or a local or national television show devoted exclusively to news, or a national or local radio show devoted exclusively to news.
b) member in good standing with the Society for Professional Journalists.
c) sign a declaration of adherence to the Society for Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics
Columnists would have one of two colors. Yellow cards are reserved for syndicated columnists. White cards are for those having a column published exclusively on a weekly or monthly basis in a particular printed publication. If they happen to meet criteria b) and c) for Reporters and Journalists, then they get GOLD BORDERS.
Bloggers would have Green cards because they don't kill so many trees with their material. If they happen to meet criteria b) and c) for Reporters and Journalists, then they get GOLD BORDERS.
Spokesmen, Pundits, and Hired Guns get Black cards. These will be hard to read as the text on the cards will also be black. But since they operate in the shadows, this should not be a problem for them.
Commentators have to appear regularly as anchors or panelists on nationally televised TV or radio news shows which may include commentary. These get tissue paper credentials. That way their passes can be useful in a pinch.
Admission to events should be based on credentials. Golden cards move to the front. Cards with gold borders, get next preference. If room allows, green cards get welcomed in. The remaining cards, where legible, are allowed to watch on a remote hook up. Cards which are illegible are handed over to security for processing.
By enforcing strict standards of professional conduct, I believe we can set a shining example for what constitutes Reporting, Journalism, and News. To paraphrase the famous Talmudic scholar, Hillel, "everything else is just commentary."