Getting Into the DNC
Dean
Bill from INDC Journal was invited then dis-invited from the Democratic National Convention. It looks to have just been a bureaucratic SNAFU, but I think there's a lesson in this: be careful the way you treat webloggers, even on accident. There's an old phrase in the news business, "never piss off someone who buys ink by the barrel." Same thing applies here.
In fact, hmm, maybe we should update the phrase for the new media. "Never piss off someone who...." what? Pushes electrons as a hobby?
Do you have any suggestions?
In the digital age, as well as any age, the saying should be: "Good Press starts with good PR."
Good PR means proper care and feeding of reporters -- including bloggers.
1. Why were ADDITIONAL blogs invited and issued NEW credentials AFTER we were rejected based on limited "space issues"
2. What was the criteria for rejection ... after acceptance.
3. If acceptance was a "computer error," why was my acceptance letter hand-signed, and the type of credential checked off by hand by the Director of the DNCC press gallery ...
4. The only two conservative bloggers that applied were among those cut (remember, Oxblog seems to have been invited after - I'm waiting for confirmation)
5. and just for kicks, why is Kos invited, who was delinked from the official Kerry web site for his "screw them" comments about the mercenaries in Fallujah. Not a huge point, but it certainly rules out the excuse that the blogs were rejected based on incediary content.
They may have goofed by inviting too many and not vetting the attendees well enough, but it's a bit ludicrous for them to ISSUE the darn things and then revoke them. It's horrible form ... imagine if this was done to the Washington Times.
They should reinstate the credentials. The Fleet Center can handle another 20 bloggers.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.