What exactly is a “press pass”
If you happen to be a blogger, writer, podcaster, photographer or play some other role in today’s media or new media, you may find yourself looking into how to acquire a press pass. While some of you are familiar with this term, others may be asking themselves “what exactly is a press pass”? The term “press pass” often conjures up images of an old fashioned reporter wearing a hat with a little card that reads PRESS tucked into the brim or maybe someone wearing a lanyard with some type of ID attached. However, beyond that mental image the question of “what a press pass” still remains.
The media landscape has certainly changed over the past two decades in that how we all receive or view our news and information has changed greatly. Along with the methods of change there has also been a change in the sheer amount of sources which include both print and of course the web. Due to the vast number of websites there has also been an increase in everything that comes with having such large numbers of sources including misinformation, confusion and outright lies.
Let’s get to the question “what is a press pass”. While once upon a time when the number of reporters & journalists was much smaller, the term press pass simply referred to the card issued to a journalist by the news outlet which employed or utilized the journalist/reporter to get their stories. This was of course before the dawn of “New Media”. With the aforementioned growth of media including bloggers, podcasters, photographers, videographers, freelance writers etc, the way individuals receive press passes and or credentials has changed.
While news outlets and other organizations do issue forms of ID to their employees or members, this is typically referred to as a “credential” whereas a “press pass” is really for something specific, a (concert, trade show, conference, political event) etc. The “press pass” is issued by an organizer, manager, venue or some other coordinator and it is typically for a set location and set time or select dates.
When an individual is looking for a press pass these days, it is important to understand these subtle but important differences. There are certainly plenty of websites out there that blur the lines of distinction both inadvertently and in fact deliberately. While in some countries other than the United States a press identification may be called a press pass (more commonly press card) sites such as this do take advantage of those looking to acquire a press pass. Many of these sites paint an image of what they are calling their “press pass” as some type of magic card that will somehow open all doors to whoever possesses it. The thought that someone can just show up to a venue, flash a card and be granted entry is really quite silly especially in this day and age with all of the security concerns that go along with planning and holding events and venue security.
Many of these sites have gone to great lengths to blend into the the fold of the legitimate organizations and websites out there that do provide credentials to their members which may include both freelancers, professionals and in some instances people just starting out in the field. Among some of these reputable organizations are The NPPA, National Writers Union, Society Of Professional Journalists and The US Press Association
There are a great deal of websites out there full of misinformation on what exactly a press pass is and what it can do for you. In fact many of these websites are part of the same elaborate web of sites run by the same people and the links within their site(s) only lead to other sites run by them. In fact many of the sites claiming to be organizations within the United States are actually run by individuals from other countries.
Keep in mind, a legitimate organization, business, group or website would issue an employee or member a credential or an ID card. It would then fall on the individual or the company, group or organization that represents them to acquire a press pass. This would be done through a more formal request such as a phone call, email or an online form. Since a venue, coordinator, manager, or whoever is in charge of issuing press/media passes for an event has an idea of the number of journalists or media they can accommodate, they typically field the request and issue the press/media passes for the event. While a journalist, reporter or photographer from a large mainstream media outlet may be able to show up somewhere unannounced the day of an event, this is not the case with the rest of us. For example, if a high profile artist is performing a concert in a large city on a given date, whoever is coordinating media for that event would usually allow a pool of X number of writers in to review the concert and X number of photographers in to photograph the concert usually with certain stipulations as to how long they can be in the pit. The coordinator has these different numbers in mind so they can accommodate the media as well as keep things running smooth so that the performer and audience are not distracted or disturbed by commotion. Requests for this type of access are also typically made in many cases weeks if not months in advance.
Hopefully this was not only informative but will serve to help people avoid the pitfalls that are out there when someone looks into how they can get a press pass.