A group of reporters is pushing back against restrictive filming rules at the U.S. Capitol after journalists were prevented from recording Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) return to the Senate.
Multiple reporters sought permission Monday to film a brief statement from the Kentucky Republican but were turned away by Senate Rules Committee staffers, according to the Radio & Television Correspondents’ Association and the Standing Committee of Correspondents.
The groups on Tuesday vowed to “continue to push for our First Amendment rights and for expanded access for credentialed press on Capitol Hill.”
Video recording in the Senate wing requires advance permission, even in areas where journalists may take photographs or record audio. No such restrictions exist in designated areas of the House side or in Senate Office buildings, the groups said.
The confrontation brought renewed attention to a July letter the groups sent urging Senate leaders to “modernize press access” by permitting handheld filming in select areas and allowing reporters to use silent electronic devices inside the Senate chamber.
The letter warned that forcing journalists to rely on handwritten notes and leave the chamber to transmit information results in “delayed coverage, added noise from reporters frequently entering and exiting the chamber, fewer reporters physically present in the chamber press gallery, and increased risk of transcription errors.”
The proposed changes would still prohibit filming inside the chamber or directly outside its doors.
“These modest, clearly defined changes will modernize Senate press access, restore parity with the House, and enhance the public’s ability to witness and understand Senate proceedings,” the groups wrote.
Congressional leaders have not responded to the request.