{ "id": "R44816", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44816", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 586631, "date": "2017-04-13", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T14:38:49.951047", "title": "Congressional News Media and the House and Senate Press Galleries", "summary": "The House and Senate press galleries provide services both for journalists and for Members of Congress. The news media helps Members communicate with the public, and enables the public to learn about policy initiatives, understand the legislative process, and observe elected officials representing their constituents. In the earliest Congresses, news reports commonly provided the most comprehensive record of congressional proceedings, even for Members themselves, because few official documents were kept. To accommodate the press, and in response to its growth through the mid-19th century, the House and Senate established formal press galleries in 1877, providing resources and organization for journalists reporting from the Capitol. This report provides information about the rules and authorities that affect media coverage of Congress, current practices among the press galleries, and selected data on gallery membership since the 94th Congress. It also provides a brief discussion of considerations that commonly underlie the galleries\u2019 practices or may affect gallery operations and congressional media rules. \nAlthough they are separate entities, the House and Senate press galleries have traditionally operated under the same governing rules, approved by the Speaker of the House and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Additionally, chamber rules addressing use of electronic devices, photography, and recording or broadcasting of audio and video, also affect journalists covering Congress. Increasingly, non-journalists may also be able to effectively report news from the Capitol with handheld Internet-connected devices. Many elements of the original press gallery rules have persisted over time, and include provisions to preserve journalistic independence from encroachment by Congress. One key feature that helps preserve this independence is the delegation of many gallery responsibilities to correspondents\u2019 committees, comprised of gallery members, and to nonpartisan House and Senate staff. Requirements for press credentials, along with other gallery practices, also reflect a balance between ensuring congressional access for professional reporters while managing the limited space and resources available in the Capitol. \nToday, four correspondents\u2019 committees exist to oversee the seven congressional press galleries: one for the House and Senate daily press galleries; one for the House and Senate periodical press galleries; one for the House and Senate radio/television galleries; and one for the Senate press photographers\u2019 gallery. Credentials from a correspondents\u2019 committee provide journalists with access to the relevant House and Senate galleries and office resources. Each committee\u2019s credentialing requirements, along with other gallery rules and the names of accredited journalists and news outlets, are published in the Official Congressional Directory. \nThe congressional press galleries also provide services for Members of Congress and staff. This can include distributing press releases or helping to facilitate Member communications with journalists. Members can use a number of sites around the Capitol Complex for press conferences or interviews. Some of these locations need to be reserved through a particular press gallery. Press gallery staff can also assist Members with media logistics and security for certain events.\nAlthough the press galleries have retained similar structures and practices over the years, changes in gallery membership and broader trends in how news is produced and distributed may be relevant as the House, Senate, and correspondents\u2019 committees consider the existing rules related to media coverage of Congress and the press galleries. Since the 94th Congress, for example, the number of credentialed correspondents has grown, particularly for the radio/television galleries, but the number of outlets they represent has decreased. Cable and satellite television and the Internet allow for smaller, more specialized news outlets to exist, yet many news outlets are consolidated under larger parent companies. Additionally, journalists making use of the multimedia capacities of Internet-based journalism may find it difficult to categorize themselves under the current gallery structure.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44816", "sha1": "7fc3a62f794a3701f6dd37ff90a5069879f2d4f5", "filename": "files/20170413_R44816_7fc3a62f794a3701f6dd37ff90a5069879f2d4f5.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44816_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170413_R44816_images_d61eb9b9c2291327f939e472eb3a8b9eedff417e.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44816_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170413_R44816_images_b0f841b822945d57e48b337ec85ff4dc4576b9c8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44816", "sha1": "490ca0307fcde0e9d85594179c5b1e694d22b7f1", "filename": "files/20170413_R44816_490ca0307fcde0e9d85594179c5b1e694d22b7f1.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "American Law", "Foreign Affairs" ] }