US Labor Department invites news organizations to request credentials

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor invites news organizations that wish to participate in press lock-ups to renew or request credentials. The new credentials will be valid beginning in August 2017.

News organizations with reporters and correspondents currently attending press lock-ups must reapply and complete the credentialing process described in the Policy Statement and News Organization Agreement. Both news organizations now participating in the department’s lock-ups and those that do not must follow the same request process, as both groups will be considered a single pool of candidates.

Space in the lock-up facility is limited, with room for between 20 and 25 media representatives. Depending on demand, the department may be unable to issue credentials to all who request them, and may limit news organizations to one seat.

To balance these limitations with its goal of advancing the purpose of pre-release access, news organizations must meet its criteria to be credentialed. They must be both:

• Primarily journalistic enterprises.
• Preparing, publishing, broadcasting and/or posting on the Internet time-sensitive summaries and analysis of department data, which are likely to contribute significantly to public understanding through the dissemination of original news, analysis and/or opinion.

In addition, the department believes that the purpose of pre-release access would be best served if the department’s credentialing decisions result in a group of credentialed news organizations that – when considered as an overall group (and not necessarily on an individual basis) – distribute a variety of types of news/media products that reach a wide and diverse audience, including geographically, and include general public versus specialized media.

The department will not consider editorial or political viewpoints in making credentialing decisions.

The Policy Statement and News Organization Agreement identifies the policy and procedures that the department will use to determine which news organizations are authorized to participate in its lock-ups and the requirements applied to those selected to participate. It also provides the agreement form that news organizations and their participating representatives must sign to receive credentials from the department.

News organizations seeking credentials may submit a request by June 5, 2017. The request must be signed by the organization’s Washington bureau chief and include a phone number and email address. Requests may be emailed to Botwin.Sharon@dol.gov. Information provided to the department on how the news organization’s participation in lock-ups will advance the purposes identified in the Policy Statement and News Organization Agreement will be important in the department’s consideration of the credentialing request.

Bureau chiefs may include a list of reporters for whom they are seeking credentials along with their request for their organization’s credentials.

The department will advise news organizations of their status via email during the week of July 10, 2017.