Bloggers get CPA blessing but probably not membership

The Colorado Press Association has recognized the seven bloggers at ColoradoConfidential.com as the "first journalists solely dedicated to blogging" to be credentialed through the CPA. I'm not quite sure what "credentialed" means --maybe they can get a press ID -- but it's a safe bet to say it does not mean a Web site can be a full member of the state press group.

That's because free newspapers and anything other than a daily or weekly, such as a bi-weekly, monthly or certainly a blogging Web site -- you know those journalists that beat the pants off the bigger dailies with great scoops regularly -- are not allowed to be full members of CPA. Neither are bi-weeklies or monthlies. My own newspaper, the Boulder County Business Report, which celebrates 25 years this year of breaking regular business stories the dailies miss entirely, is a bi-weekly and only allowed into CPA as an "associate" member, with PR companies and other lost souls.

The reason for this is quite simple. It's called protecting your ass, I mean territory, namely legal advertising that weeklies take in and often live on.

If by some chance, the CPA were to recognize free newspapers, such as the Aspen Daily News, probably the leading souce of news in the mountain ski town, then it's just possible someone could persuade a legislator to change Colorado law that dictates where legal advertising should run.

To be a regular CPA member, a newspaper must be "Legal publications have been published for at least 52 weeks consecutively and have a second-class periodical mailing permit from tbe post office." So I am presuming that would certainly leave out any blogging Web site.

The possibility of legal ads being publishing online, in just about any media's Web site, has frightened CPA members for years. It is one of the primary jobs of CPA lobbyist to make sure this state law does not change.

Many of us have complained about this narrow-mindedness of the CPA for years, and it's been the subject of several rifts and membership fights over the years. But with the board, of course, controlled by the "legal" newspapers -- not outlaw free newspapers and others -- it's been a losing battle.

What would happen if ColoradoConfidential.com were to ask for membership in the CPA? I'm afraid the bloggers will be over in the corner with us "associate" types -- with no vote on anything the organization does.