Sunday, March 7, 2010

What is a Reporter and What makes them Legal?

That question is not that hard. But for our generation the question is very troubling. The information disseminating is now a general issue. We can all disseminate information to the public. So that makes us a reporter??

That question was heard in Committee last week. Rep O Flaherty Judiciary Co Chair wanted to know and grilled Susan Warnick on the fact. Do we have to recognize a blogger as Press and the Press Shield applies to them?? The Chair was baffled by this point. But it is much bigger. They are considering ways to stop the Press and it is being muffed by the Laws they are trying to tweek through. But we see the truth.. the fog is clearing isn't it.

The next week they were at it again with trying to require Court Reporters to be licensed. That caused a mighty stir in the Court Reporter Industry. They are Independant Contractors who take pride in their work and to see themselves pushed under the rug like that was infuriating. But not to me who has been seeing this coming for the past 7 years. That is why transparency is so important. They need to come on board with me and demand the Legislature be video recorded as well as the courts. They need to wake up as a group and put the skids on the Legal Mania Crowd on Beacon Hill and force the slack to the people to see this .

So what is a Reporter? Well, in my day, and I am proudly 67 I could just write an article and if it got accepted over and over I got myself known as a Reporter. In fact, that happened and I was offered a job to cover three towns. I caught on fast that the need to be legally savy was going to be an issue so I gave it up. I could see the handwriting on the wall of court cases for libel. It was not a bad decision. If I had started video recording they would have had some fits but that would have been a good decision. Frankly, in the 70's they were not there yet on the impact TV could have even though it was around for 30 years. Now it is around for 70 years and we are just catching on to the fact TV can play a great role in Reporting.

I have taped more than 450 events. Does that make me a Reporter?? Not on Beacon Hill! They have it in their heads that only working press are real. But Susan Warnick set them straight. I am legal. And so is a Blogger. It would have to be scrutinized more closely but you can be sure my case would prove me a Reporter. I am a Reporter. I am a videographer a VideoJournalist and a legal Reporter. Take that Statehouse. I will succeed in making this point, I will succeed in making a Registry of competent Independant Reporters and put the record straight.

If you are a rogue reporter and you want to wreck this plan. Don't join Comflm, Registry. We are going to be a class act. We are not Spiderman and Spiderwoman, hanging off buildings to get a story. We will go in the door and get legal recognition. We are not the enemy. Anyone, can join Comflm, Registry, as long as you are not a what ?? sex offender.. you cannot photo journal and be a sex offender. If you can get a Cori and that is not on it.. you can join. I will see you get some training unpaid training. If you want it. We will succeed in becoming respected and recognized. So if you think you can do it some other way.. good luck. I will work with the Courts and the Legislature and get this done right. Not any other way. I don't have time for party crashers.

And if your a Politician and you want to succeed you better recognize Independant Media. That is all I have to say. What are you up to is all I can say on that one!

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