With Rights, but Without a Press Pass

Lee en español

The debate over who qualifies as “press” —and who gets to call themselves a journalist— has stirred controversy for years in Puerto Rico and in the United States. So has the legitimacy of the so-called “official” press pass issued by the Puerto Rico Department of State. Most local reporters, including the team at the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI), don’t request or use it. They see it as an undue interference by the State in determining who can act as press. The Department of State’s “official” press pass merely “confirms” that a journalist works for a news outlet or that a freelancer has previously done journalistic work.