Photograph by: Chris Wattie/Reuters

CPAC has a video feed which allows Canadians all over the country who don’t live in Ottawa, to view the proceedings of the House of Commons. This live feed, previously available on television, has migrated to the internet, and can be viewed by political observers of all stripes. This fits in well with the modern citizen journalism of bloggers, who will often report on events that occurred in the House before even the major media do.

But unfortunately, unless you hold a digital recorder to your computer speakers, you have to wait 24 hours to get the Parliamentary transcript. And that would be just fine, except that the elite members of the Press Gallery who go to Parliament Hill and sit in the House of Commons, are emailed a transcript by the House of Commons media manager by the late afternoon [or early, if you live here on the west coast]. This elite little club, with notable members being Aaron Wherry from Macleans, and Kady O’Malley from the CBC, then write up their reports based on transcripts they receive a day earlier than the rabble.

This is great. If you happen to be a member of the press, and you happen to live in Ottawa, that is. Such rules seem embedded in 1910, not the year 2010. A nice little club they have there.

And by the time the transcripts are available, which is usually the next day, the next session for the House of Commons is sitting, making the transcript mainly irrelevant except for historical purposes. In the immediate demand of up-to-the-minute political blogging, these elite members of the “Press Gallery” have a huge advantage. But it’s not just some kind of exclusive journalist club. My contacts in the National Post say they can’t get the transcripts either:

Good afternoon,

The blues are only available to Press Gallery members.

Thanks.

Collin Lafrance
Acting Manager,
Multi-Media Events and Broadcasting Services
Gestionnaire Intérimaire,
Activités multimédia et télédiffusion
Tel./Tél.: 613-992-6517
Cell.: 613-290-8891
Fax / Téléc.: 613-996-2076
lafraco@parl.gc.ca
Feel free to give me a call if you need more information.

To which I asked the obvious question: “So what happens if a journalist lives in Vancouver?”

I email the blues to Gallery members. This is following an agreement that the Press Gallery
has with the House of Commons.

Thanks.

Collin

Well, isn’t that special? This little rule makes all the technology in the world completely irrelevant, since you have to be physically present in the city of Ottawa, and in the House of Commons, and a recognized and certified member of the Press Gallery, to get their little “blues” transcript.