WASHINGTON – The online news media, clamoring for respect since reporters exchanged hot type for hot links, can thank President Clinton for boosting its status in the journalism world.
For the first time, correspondents from a dozen websites joined the elite White House press corps during the president's "digital divide" cross-country tour this week.
Three dot com reporters took turns traveling in the small "travel pool" compartment at the back of the Air Force One 747, and the rest crowded onto the White House press charter.
However, the trip was far from an unqualified success for some participants who cited limited access to Clinton and poor advance planning as their chief complaints.
"At each step of the way, it felt like we were an after-thought," said Brock Meeks of MSNBC.com. "It felt like we were invited to the party, but nobody asked us to dance. Although we were a part of it, we weren't a part of it.
"Even in the listing of who would be in the different travel pools, there was nothing about us there. We existed but we didn't. We were kind of shadow journalists," Meeks said.
The White House pool is a group of reporters that travels with the president and attends events as representatives of the entire press corps. They share their notes, film, and photographs with colleagues from other news outlets.
Among the online news organizations on this trip were Wired News, MSNBC.com, CNN's AllPolitics.com, Voter.com, Access Magazine, the Industry Standard, and Newsbytes.
Robert MacMillan, a Washington correspondent for Newsbytes, said he was disappointed not to have been one of the three reporters to travel on Air Force One. Access Magazine, which is primarily a print publication, was in the pool instead.
"I would have definitely appreciated getting a slot over them," MacMillan said. "I'm definitely disappointed that we kind of got edged out by certain organizations that don't have a steady online presence yet."
MacMillan said, however, he's not soured on the idea. "It may sound like a desperate one-night stand, but I wouldn't mind being invited again."
Mark Kitchens, the White House's director of Internet news, said during conversations on Monday and Tuesday that this was the first time the online media were invited, and that some glitches could be expected.
"I think that we tried to do everything we could to accommodate the Internet press," Kitchens said.
"We felt that it made most sense to have the Internet press rotate in through the digital divide events, not necessarily through the entire trip."
"This was a first and certainly there are going to be some minor glitches, but overall it was a positive step."
One reason there was extra space on the presidential jet: Usually a seat is reserved for a magazine correspondent, who represents Time, Newsweek, and US News and WorldReport.
But this time, the magazines didn't send anyone.
