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The media becomes an activist for democracy
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March 26, 2012, 4:31 p.m.
LINK: gothamist.com  ➚   |   Posted by: Joshua Benton   |   March 26, 2012

Police departments are still figuring out how to deal with local blogs and news sites that want press passes — the key to getting past police lines in many jurisdictions. After an epic struggle, NYC blog Gothamist finally has one. Congrats to Jake Dobkin, Jen Chung, & Co. They describe a quasi-orwellian process, with a little humor leavened in:

“I was angry about having to spend so many hours preparing the exhibits and so much money on legal fees for a hearing I expected to lose,” Jake recalls. “I expressed this resentment by wearing blue socks with dinosaurs on them.”

Dobkin has written a guide for those navigating the process in New York. We wrote back in 2009 about the NYPD’s issues defining who’s press-pass worthy.

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The media becomes an activist for democracy
“We cannot be neutral about this, by definition. A free press that doesn’t agitate for democracy is an oxymoron.”
Embracing influencers as allies
“News organizations will increasingly rely on digital creators not just as amplifiers but as integral partners in storytelling.”
Action over analysis
“We’ve overindexed on problem articulation, to the point of problem admiring. The risk is that we are analyzing ourselves into inaction and irrelevance.”