NYPD Press Credential Rule Changes Include NPPA's Suggestions

 

NEW YORK, NY (July 22, 2010) – New York City has revised its rules for issuing press credentials, and the changes are for the better, NPPA's general counsel Mickey H. Osterreicher said today.

"I am very pleased to see that the NYPD, by amending its proposed rules, acknowledged that some of those rules were overly burdensome, vague and arbitrary and did not provide equal protection to out-of-town journalists," Osterreicher said.

"The City addressed a number of the issues NPPA raised in our written comments, including some limitations for press card access, the elimination of the requirement that single-event press card applicants apply for their credentials in person, and the provisions governing the suspensions of press cards and hearings about press card denials or suspensions are improved."

The final version of the City's new rules have deleted language that related to the notion of "privacy concerns" as a limitation to press card access. "We also advocated that §11-03 should be revised to permit applicants for the Single Event Press Card to submit their application by telephone, fax, eMail, or by completing an on-line form," Osterreicher said. "That language now reads 'to be eligible to receive a Single Event Press Card for a Single Event an individual must be a member of the press . . .who . . . applies for said Single Event Press Card in person, by fax or by e-mail,' thus eliminating the requirement that single event press card applicants apply for their credentials 'in person.'"

"We are also gratified to see that the new rules reflect that 'when the bearer's ability to cross police, fire lines . . . is denied, such denial come from a supervising officer or a member of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information of the New York City Police Department.'This will hopefully reduce the arbitrary revocation of press cards by patrolmen overstepping their discretionary bounds."

The provisions governing denial and suspension hearings also were improved in that the time in which to appeal a credential denial has been increased from 10 to 20 days, and that a hearing on that issue must be held no more than thirty days from receipt of the request for a hearing.

"While the NYPD did not adopt all of our proposals, we believe that these revisions are a step in the right direction in addressing our concerns," Osterreicher said.

NPPA's Advocacy Committee actively participated in the process of formulating NYPD's new press credential rules by filing written suggestions with the City during a public comments period in April, and Osterreicher was assisted in the effort by Advocacy Committee member Alicia Wagner Calzada, an NPPA past president, and Todd Maisel, Region 2's Regional Chair.

 

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