That's bad enough. Or good enough, if you're on that team.
The DU admins have already set up pro-Hillary sites, for brainstorming and etc.
Perhaps the question should be asked there, where the $$$ are and the decisions are laid down.

And yes, I realize the partisan bent. This project could rise above that, wishfully.

I wonder if the site has any ties to the Hillary campaign.

Either way, money can sure change people.

If you ever lowered yourself to condescend to check it out, you would notice that it is not "raw propaganda." But maybe you are so blinded with resentment that you wouldn't get that.

Good grief.

I didn't see any references to the other Dem candidates on the front page

But you'll see stuff like "Game Of Thrones Finale: What If Hillary Clinton Sat On The Iron Throne?" so don't expect journalism or objectivity. It's a pure campaign site.

you come to a political website owned and operated by individuals that don't charge you a dime and you complain that they don't do things to your approval? Really?

You must be one heck of a house guest.

I'm not supposed to mention it, even though that politics was advertised here?
I'm not allowed to suggest that to be a reason why "official DU reporters" authorized now, at this point, might be a bad idea that - might rebound very badly?

pshaw. I believe in free speech, including my own, and your attempt to silence me with reproval for (you suggest) being less than grateful to Skinner didn't work.

I believe in free speech.

DU isn't a Government organization .

just once come-on!

He'd have long since been impeached for something!

Repubs, I hope, otherwise it would simply be an avid supporter of one Dem candidate trying to get a 'gotcha' moment from their candidate's opponent. Dems are better than that, imo.

I need to wait for the fire to be put to bed, so I can do the launch story for Jindall... but I run a non partisan outfit.

He's a good columnist and knows how to seek the truth.

Legitimately. Welcome to the age of the citizen journalist. Anybody with a soapbox can declare themselves a journalist and issue their own media credentials. Courts have upheld that anybody acting and identifying as a member of the media is, situationally.

Given, having press credentials doesn't actually get you anything. If you want access to press briefings from just about anybody (courts, police, White House, Congress) you have to apply to those institutions for access as a member of the press and they all have their own more stringent standard for determining who receives it. Having press credentials doesn't gain you access to venues, private property, crime scenes or anyplace else the public does not have unfettered access to. It's illegal to make yourself credentials bearing the identity of a media outlet you aren't a journalist for or claiming to be a member of a newswire or news agency such as Reuters or Associated Press that you're not. It's also illegal to misrepresent yourself or use a false identity.

But yes, you too can make your own press credentials. There are templates online and media organizations that will accept any applicant as a member such as Indymedia; joining such an organization immediately gives you greater legitimacy and many also provide educational resources and writing opportunities.

Edit: This should be obvious but if you want to issue yourself media credentials that identify your media outlet as Democratic Underground, you need Skinner's/EarlG's/elad's permission. Even if they issue it blanket to everybody, you should probably notify them that you are...it would be problematic and awkward if the police or a source or whohaveyou were to call Skinner and ask "Mr. Allen, is Mr(s). Grasswire a member of the writing staff of your website and have you issued them media credentials on your behalf?" and have him have no idea who you are.

having GOVERNMENT issued ones matters. I explained bellow why.

.....it is the clout of a web site with the membership of DU that will score exclusive interviews and allow entry to events. Think Daily Kos with credentialed citizen reporters.

And I don't think anyone wants a blanket issuance or self issuance of credentials. The idea -- again -- would be for applicants to submit their credentials to DU's bigwigs and a few chosen either at large or for certain events in their locale.

This is not a new idea, just one that can make money for DU as exclusives are published. Even Skinner/EarlG/elad are businessmen.

it's actually all risk and no upside for a site like DU to start issuing credentials, even if it is generating exclusive content for them. You're more likely to cost them money than make them money.

Even the best, most-thorough media outlet of this variety is constantly under pressure from things like libel claims and subpoenas to reveal sources. Issuing credentials would open floodgates of liability and probably necessitate that Skinner keep a lawyer on retainer. Right now, he has no liability for the content of articles posted by site users, not is he responsible for verifying the accuracy or truth on self-published content.

I get what you're saying...but you'd be better off self-issuing your own credentials, not using the DU brand/clout to advance your writing or access, or to promote except in so far as you actually link or publish your content here. Even if you did cross a professional ethical or legal boundary as an unaffiliated reporter posting here (such as Nadin, WillPitt and a handful of other people are...previously me before I jumped to work in PR/Comm/Development for NPOs) it would be impossible for anybody to go after DU for it and unlikely for them to go after you since you likely have few or no unprotected assets to pursue.

so if the libel gets too bad, dissolve

But I have visions of the lawsuit. Just look at ROOF, but media is not calling him a murderer already, he admitted to it?

No, we are not, there are libel issues to consider, and not tainting juries.

And I already asked about getting ahem OFFICIAL press credentials from their local PD... because while it is not that hard, you need to be affiliated to an actual news outlet and go though a background check. Oh and the news outlet needs to prove need and a few other things.

We have them due to fire coverage. Hell, I was on the line of one last week.

...as is DKos. I think it would be hard to providing writing samples that would support press credentials.

There are plenty of forums that would be fine for posting essays --even GD. I don't think there's a serious obstacle on that point. I don't know if we need journalists specifically for DU, however. We have some journalists who post here already, and they share their work with us. But I'm fine with it if DU wants to do that.

It's an aggregation of other material or quick commentary.

I can think of a dozen at least, off the top of my head, who would be qualified and respected.

the person would have to also be credentialed by the local issuing government agency. In theory those are for things like wild fires, and police actions. In practice you also need them when, for example, your state democratic convention rolls to town, or the TPP.

Also, I hate to point this out, but when people complain about places like Breitbart... yes I do know the local reporter for Breitbart who is not credentialed in the manner I just described, so she has issues getting into places where press is at, like oh... when Mayor Filner resigned, or when the lawyer for one of the people who sued the city went public, (she was checking city credentials), she cannot get into those... special briefings.

Sorry for the reality check, but unless DU is going to become an actual news outlet....

Right now doing what actual media does. We have had a fire start just north of the county border... and thank you lord this is being called contained. The google map gave me all kinds of willis, due to the dry veg... canyons are fun.

DU isn't exactly a news outlet, more of a news hub. I think it would be fairly easy to go that route, but it's really a matter for the admins to decide. I don't think they really want DU to be an actual news outlet, but I'm often wrong. It just seems to me that they could have done it a long time ago if they'd wanted to.

just on the other side. I wish I were kidding.

That said, non partisan news outlets are becoming more and more rare, because we are quite brutally honest going back to the partisan press of the 19th century. So maybe they could....I am not sure if they should.

I know that news reporting is not as easy either as some folks think it is. That goes triple for investigative. I do a lot of policy, (which would be good for people here to actually do), but that takes a lot of research, and reading and leaving behind a lot of preconceptions.

I guess the closet folks could do out of the gate would be political reporting. I must say, I do it, but once you start actually covering oh City Councils and Boards of Supers... it becomes not so much any more. Actual sausage making is not that much fun, to be honest.

I am just telling you what would happen.

As is many outlets are already quite partisan thank you very much and have issues with credibility with large swaths of the population. Alas FOX and MSNBC are using the exact same model and are both quite partisan at times. One more than the other, but it is what it is.

So add another partisan outlet. I urge you to do that.

By the way, I do not think you will send reporters, as an assignment editor, to sit in a court room, or for that matter to San Diego City Hall, so there is no turf for me to protect. I also doubt you will spend five seconds on actual policy. So again, no turf to protect. I wish I had to protect it by the way.

Just pointing the reality of things.

By the way... do address how DU gets actual credentials for their reporters from local police departments, who are the usual issuing agencies. Becuase you know what? Getting credentials to go into many events requires official credentials from a government agency. They should not, but they do.

There are so many Republican troll infiltrators that have survived here for years, how will we even verify they deserve to go out to represent Democratic values?

Aren't there a dozen people here you trust to represent Democratic values?

Gee.

on who gets the nod.

I'm not advocating a popularity contest, but assigning qualified, experienced workers.

Always room for one more blog.