The Uptake is a Minnesota-based citizen journalism non-profit best known for its non-stop coverage of the 2008 US Senate recount and subsequent court challenge for the seat formerly held by Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota). The organization specializes in low- to no-budget video journalism, most of which has a distinct point of view. Because, after all, every storyteller—professional or amateur—has a point of view.
As a result of the recognition The Uptake received for its 2008 Minnesota US Senate recount coverage, and because that’s where lots of its members’ interests lie, the organization webcasts a lot of political news. Accordingly, The Uptake rents space at the Minnesota State Capitol press room.
Sarah Janecek, writing for Politics in Minnesota, reports that Mike Dougherty, news editor for the Rochester Post-Bulletin, has objected to the Commissioner of Administration about The Uptake‘s presence in the Capitol press room. Dougherty’s grounds appear to be that The Uptake is not nonpartisan, might steal corporate media stories, and is different.
Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) on-air talent Mary LaHammer also objects to The Uptake being in the Capitol press room on the grounds that “TPT is ‘zealous’ about anyone or any organization using any TPT resources for partisan purposes….” Really.
Basically, Dougherty and LaHammer are asking the person responsible for leasing space in the Capitol press room to keep out the riff-raff.
Most of The Uptake‘s contributors are almost certainly, partisan. But—and this is crucial—I’ve yet to see a webcast from the organization that wasn’t fair. Allegations are flying that an Uptake intern tweeted something approaching an endorsement while covering a media conference. Janecek reports she can’t find the offending tweet(s). But that’s not the point.
As long as conflicts of interest—including any partisanship (real or perceived)—is disclosed (which it clearly was), I just don’t see a problem here. I suspect something else is going on here. Corporate publishers like TPT and the Post-Bulletin have suddenly realized that they no longer have a monopoly on the news, that the view from nowhere is less relevant than ever, and are running scared of these heathens with cheap video cameras.
What’s especially disturbing about all of this is that the Commissioner’s office first replied to Dougherty that the Senate had credentialed The Uptake and there was no basis to deny the lease. Janecek contacted the Commissioner’s communications director later who told her “the department has decided to review the policies for press corps space at the Capitol….” Really.
What’s especially encouraging about all of this is that Sarah Janecek is herself one of the most openly partisan journalists in this or any other state. And she openly admits it. Read her piece; it’s well-researched, well-written, and well, fair. The Uptake was credentialed by the Minnesota Senate: It’s as entitled to lease space in the Capitol press room as any other media outlet.
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