Date 2 Feb 1996
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS
To: Marc Rotenberg
Subject:  An idea whose time has come

Donald Ritchie, the assistant Senate historian and the author of "Press
Gallery" mentioned by Wines in his article, told me this morning that the
problem I am having is the same one that others have had to contend with,
whenever a new press media has come on the horizon: daily press; weekly
press; periodical press; radio and TV press; etc.  Ritchie says they
always use the same argument: "the new press types will involve too many
people who we will not be able to accommodate."  Ritchie thinks the
so-called threat from the Internet, is of the same kind, the threat of
competition that the old guard wants to put down.

Ritchie is fascinated with this story and we plan to meet for coffee
after you and I have our meeting coming up.

Maybe, Ritchie says, what should be done is petition Congress for a new
Gallery: the Internet Press Gallery!  Seriously, there is a great
Constitutional argument in favor of such a response.  It would go
something like this:  If the Government decides to dedicate public
property to foster speech by certain kinds of groups, here the press, they
cannot exclude one important group unilaterally but may establish
limitations only in conformance with the First Amendment free press
provisions.

I know a few others who would likely join in such a petition.  The
Internet would love it.  Imagine, their own establishment on Capitol Hill!


Food for thought.


Vigdor Schreibman - FINS