Stephen Taylor of the Blogging Tories covered reaction the recent federal budget on Parliament Hill. He had security clearance. As he was scrumming with Jack Layton, Elizabeth Thompson of The Montreal Gazette scolded him and finally alerted the PPG President Richard Brennan. The latter called on security to kick Taylor out of the Rotunda.
Read the whole story.
I am none too pleased about this. Any Canadian with security clearance should be allowed to show up on Parliament Hill and talk about any damned subject he pleases with any MP, and if he wants to film that interview, that is entirely his choice.
I think this story bears investigation.
H/T: ChuckerCanuck.
UPDATE: Richard Brennan's policy on bloggers:
ยบ Parliamentary Press Gallery president Richard Brennan maps out his rigid blogger strategy: "They will be ejected and if they continue, they'll be prohibited from coming into the main block, particularly here, I should say, the Foyer of the House. You're not to use anything collected in the Foyer of the House, be it video or voice that could be used in some kind of a nefarious way. That's what these guys want to do. They want to collect tape, video, voice, people making mistakes or saying something that's not exactly correct, they want to use it for some kind of an attack ad. That's what we're afraid of. They're not supposed to be here anyway. They're not members of the Press Gallery. This area is for the members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery or visiting media only."
source.
Like PPG's Neeeeever do that....They would never dream of say...cornering a so-con to get a juicy bit to embarrass the Conservatives for the 10 pm news. No nefarious purposes what-so-ever. The fact they replayed Cheryl Gallant's comparison of late-term aboriton to the beheading of Daniel Pearl was completely innocent.
Bullsh*t!!!
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