What’s with all these blondes trying to take away reporters’ press passes on Capitol Hill? Considering that much of the Washington press corps could be construed as a detriment to the so-called integrity of the congressional press pass, it’s a wonder why reporters running for Daily Press Gallery office are threatening to confiscate the passes of their potential constituents.

What are they, deeply misguided?

On Monday we reported on Bloomberg reporter Kate Hunter‘s campaign letter that she sent around by email. Considering that Bloomberg rarely lets its reporters leave their desks much less utter a word outside the building, we never got a response to our questions asking Hunter to clarify her platform. Would she prevent HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, The Weekly Standard and the NYT opinion page writers from obtaining press passes? Much like a politician, Hunter evaded our questions about her letter, which insists that she wants to “preserve the integrity of the congressional press pass” and apply more stringent rules to “advocacy reporting” organizations.

Today we have CQ Roll Call‘s Emily Ethridge, who, in much the same vein as Hunter, declared that she, too, was going to tamp down on these evil advocacy media outlets. She wrote, “I also know how important it is to maintain the integrity of the Capitol press corps while allowing for new members who share our commitment to independent, original journalism.”

The Mirror reached out to Ethridge for clarification. After all, she stated warmly in her letter to get in touch with questions. Hopefully she’s not chained up over there and that her campaign aides will let her speak.

See her full letter. 

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am writing to ask for your support in Thursday’s election for the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the Daily Press Galleries. Voting will take place this Thursday, January 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the House Daily Press Gallery, H-319.

During my six years covering Congress, I have spent a great deal of time in the press galleries – including weekend and late night sessions along with many of you. That time has shown me the importance of keeping gallery operations running smoothly to ensure that journalists have access to the resources they need. I also know how important it is to maintain the integrity of the Capitol press corps while allowing for new members who share our commitment to independent, original journalism. As a member of the Standing Committee, I would take all that into consideration when considering applications for press credentials.

If you have any questions about the election, or simply want to know more about what role the Standing Committee plays, please feel free to get in touch.

Thank you for your time. I would appreciate your support and your vote on Thursday.

Sincerely,

Emily V. Ethridge

CQ Roll Call