In some states officials have denied press credentials to groups that do not disclose their ownership or those that represent left- or right-wing groups, but in Florida the Capitol Police issue credentials to individuals after confirming the name of each employer and doing a criminal records check. There are no formal rules defining who can be a journalist.
Morgan reports that a couple of the better-financed Web operations have moved into the Florida Press Center, taking offices once occupied by newspapers that cut staff or eliminated bureaus. Sunshine State News , which has set up shop in the Herald's old suite, seems to appeal more to business-oriented readers than mainstream publications. It refuses to disclose the names of its investors. Managing Editor John Wark says they want to maintain a "firewall'' between the owners and the reporters.
"Some find the secrecy surrounding Sunshine troubling in an industry with a long tradition of identifying those who provide the news," Morgan writes. Generally, readers, listeners and viewers can better evaluate the news if they know who pays for it. "All of us who respect the craft of journalism should be alarmed and wary,'' John Iarussi, one owner of LobbyTools, another online information business expanding into Web news coverage, told Morgan. (Read more)
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