The push by some in Congress to expand lobbying rules could ensnare reporters for specialized publications like Politico Pro, Bloomberg and Congressional Quarterly that gather info used by investors, according to industry insiders.
“The media should not be exempt” from registering like lobbyists, said J. Patrick Cave, founder of the Cypress Group lobbying shop. “You are providing the same content that we do,” he added at an industry discussion hosted Wednesday by First Street and Women in Government Relations.
At issue: A legislative move, sidelined this year, to register those in the “political intelligence” business, kind of a step down from full-on lobbying. If the initiative, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is revived, Cave said it could be argued that specialist reporters be included since their media firms are selling insider intelligence for a high price.
But fellow lobbyist Heather Podesta said registration would be a mistake in part because reporters write for publications with a wide-spread audience, not one firm or client like lobbyists.
Ethics lawyer Robert Walker said that registering reporters would have a “chilling effect” on sources and kill the news media’s best friend: the leak. “It would be too big of a price to pay,” he said.
