Senate press copbreaks her silence

WASHINGTON -- The lone woman on the five-member
Standing Committee of Correspondents for the Senate
Press Gallery acknowledges that the panel has no set
meeting schedule or venue in reviewing applicants for
press passes, confirming concerns by newsies who have
been turned down that the deliberation process is not
as formal and open as the panel lets on.

Donna Smith, the committee's secretary and a senior member, says that the quasi-government panel, which operates outside public view, does not even meet regularly.

"It's random," she said in a phone interview. "We meet every several weeks or so, as things come up."

Also, the panel, which decides which media can and can't cover Congress, often changes meeting places – sometimes convening in the offices of the Senate press gallery, other times in those of the House press gallery, says Smith, a congressional correspondent for Reuters news service.

Under federal sunshine and open-meetings law, other government bodies must post notices of meetings – including the time and place, names of participants and agenda items – in the Federal Register at least a week in advance.

The press panel is governed by the Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. The ranking Republican member is Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Its lack of formal procedures confirms suspicions by some press gallery applicants who have been denied membership, including WorldNetDaily, that the panel – which has extraordinary and exceptional powers that often rub against the First Amendment – is both unprofessional and unaccountable.

WND is appealing the panel's decision, arguing that members delayed review of its application for a full year for political reasons, denied it due process out of spite, and judged the popular newssite against moving standards, thereby infringing on its constitutional right to cover Congress as a member of the free press.

"It's confirmation of what we've observed over the past 18 months (including the appeals period) – an arbitrary and capricious decision-making process, devoid of any standards," said WND counsel Richard Ackerman of the nonprofit U.S. Justice Foundation.

Added WND founder and editor Joseph Farah: "It's as we've suspected all along – they've been making up the rules as they go."

"I'm glad someone on the committee was honest enough to admit it," he said.

Previous stories:

Senate press boss 'lies' to WND readers

WND reporter banned from covering Capitol

Shake-up at the Senate Press Gallery

Senate gallery moves 'goalposts' again

Senate gallery 'dragging feet' on WND appeal

Senate press panel withholds evidence

WND's press-gallery hearing next week

April appeal in WND's Senate press fight

WND appeals Senate gallery decision