"But moments before the Nov. 14 media event began, the Oakland Police Department barred the Peralta Citizen reporter from entering, a remarkable blockade against a college newspaper covering a national story about beloved Laney coach John Beam, who was fatally shot on campus a day earlier. The reason? The Citizen reporter - an associate editor - had not first obtained a police-issued press credential."
"The "mandatory" requirement has been a thorny issue among reporters covering the department since it was first enforced three years ago, with some bristling at the idea that the OPD can decide who can or can't access press conferences on topics of community interest. But it has not faced unified opposition until now. Hours after Gonzalez-Zaragoza's removal, First Amendment lawyers and advocates fired off a letter to police officials and Mayor Barbara Lee, saying the practice "interferes with the ability of the press to keep the public informed, threatens press independence and hurts the community's ability to get news from a diverse range of sources.""
A Peralta Citizen student journalist was blocked from a police press conference after the Laney College fatal shooting because she lacked an Oakland Police Department press credential. The OPD has enforced a mandatory press-credential requirement for about three years, prompting objections from reporters who say the department is deciding who may access community press events. Multiple journalists from local outlets were also initially denied or required to apply on the spot. First Amendment lawyers and press organizations sent a letter to city officials contending the policy interferes with press functions and reduces community access to diverse news sources.
Read at The Mercury News
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