Coastsider gets press credentials

I guess if Sheriff takes your picture, it’s going to make you look like a felon.  The picture at right is of my brand-new press card from the Sheriff Horsley’s office down in Redwood City.

I’ve been publishing Coastsider for nearly a year and I’ve generally been treated like any other news source by everyone I need to talk to.  With a few exceptions, people return my calls and are willing to talk to me, even when I’m reporting bad news. The folks at the Sheriff’s substation in Moss Beach, including Lieutenants Quinlan and Shiveley, have been helpful and responsive. They’ve treated me well, even when I was the first reporter (or photographer) on the scene at a murder in Moss Beach.

Generally, my Coastsider business card has been enough to make it clear that I’m more than just a gawker. Most recently, I rode on the press bus with the Review and County Times to the Devil’s Slide tunnel groundbreaking.

However, it also became clear that if I need to deal with the police or fire departments on the scene of breaking news, it would be useful to have press credentials.

I have had conversations with the police where I had to make it clear to them that I viewed their cooperation with me as First Amendment issue.  And you can imagine my reaction to the official who complained that I had an unfair advantage over the local weekly when it came to reporting breaking news. I will explain indignantly to anyone who’ll listen that police can’t be in the position of deciding who gets to be considered press. But I do understand that on the scene the last thing they want to do is to vet reporters.

This press card is a huge milestone for Coastsider and a genuine recognition of the impact we’re having in the community.