Ohio Republican Senate nominee J.D. Vance and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared at a rally together in Youngstown, Ohio, Friday. While hundreds of supporters attended the event, the press was largely kept out amid an outrageous list of rules for coverage.
According to the Statehouse News Bureau, several reporters chose not to cover the event after learning that the requirements for receiving a press credential included prior approval from event sponsor Turning Point Action in order to interview attendees.
In an online application form, journalists were asked to agree to 12 bullet points in order to get a press pass.
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Campaign Action
Editors from The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote in an op-ed that one of the rules gave event sponsors the right to review video and/or use it for promotional purposes.
“That’s never okay. News agencies are independent of the political process. We do not provide our work product to anyone for promotional use. To do so would put us in league with people we cover, destroying our credibility,” the op-ed reads.
“Yet another of the rules reserved the right to know in what manner any footage of the event would be used. We are news people. We use footage on news platforms. But this rule set up a situation in which reporters could be grilled on their intentions,” the op-ed added.
The Washington Post reported that journalists were also banned from recording any speaker who refused to be recorded.
Monica Nieporte, the president and executive director of the Ohio News Media Association, told the Post, “These are highly unusual conditions,” and added, “We do not agree that the Unite & Win Rally has any standing to be asking for blanket access to the content that is created by journalists in exchange for permission to cover their event … The journalists work for their media outlet and not for the Vance campaign. Their content is owned by their employer.”
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point Action, argued that requirements for press credentials “protect the organization from being taken advantage of by organizations or companies — usually non-traditional press — that don’t intend to report on the event at all, but rather want to monetize raw footage/pics. These policies also maintain guest and speaker privacy in green rooms, backstage, etc., and protect our underage attendees.”
According to Spectrum News 1, the rally drew a packed house.
One supporter, Karen Carbone of Toledo, reportedly waited for hours to get into the rally.
About DeSantis, Carbone said, “He listens to what people are asking for, and he tries to implement the things that will make their lives easier,” adding, “He’s a fighter like Trump is … Better at the game and more polished.”
Ohio Statehouse reporter Morgan Trau tweeted a copy of the press application; you can read it below.
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