What’s the New What? I’m starting to think political conventions are the new nightclubs. And those unsightly metal detectors outside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul are like the velvet ropes that keep the riffraff outside the hippest spots in town.
I know teens who'd rather blog about VP Nominee Sarah Palin than kick it at the club. Like 17-year-old political junkie Kelly Chau, who felt like she'd been invited to P-Diddy's exclusive annual bash, when she was sent to St. Paul to cover the RNC.
KELLY (on tape)
I was just really excited, because this is like a once in a lifetime thing… you get to witness history in the making.
Kelly could hardly wait to tote around her omnidirectional mic and talk politics with the media elite. While most of us are pining for Orlando Bloom, Kelly's crush is…
ANKITHA
That’s right, conservative commentator Joe Scarborough -- who in Kelly's eyes is…
KELLY (on tape)
"drop-dead gorgeous with a cute baby face."
ANKITHA
So you can imagine Kelly’s heartbreak when she found out she wasn't eligible for a press credential at the Republicans' convention. You have to be at least 18 to get one of those bad boys. With mine in hand, I decided to dig around the Xcel Center to get a better understanding of the RNC's credentialing policy. Finally, I found the spokesperson for specialty media, who was supposed to have the answer. I asked Yohana de la Torre why journalists have to be 18 to cover the convention.
GOP Yohana de la Torre (on tape):
Along with Senator John McCain, the Republican Party's values value what the youth have to do and what they have to say for the American people and this nation. And like Senator John McCain says, we are taking off our Republican hats, and we're putting on our American hats …
ANKITHA
Wwwwait a minute. I'M GLAD YOU'RE SUCH A FAN OF OUR NATION'S YOUTH…BUT - WHY DON’T YOU INVITE THEM INSIDE THE VELVET ROPE? I ended up getting more concrete information from a youth media organization called YPress in Indianapolis. Their oldest reporter on the Republican Convention beat is definitely under-age. 15-year-old YPress reporter, Tommaso Verderame, says they'd spent more than a year--and lots of money--preparing for their convention coverage. br>
YRPress
We found out we were denied for the first time in July. They claim they've never given a credential to anyone under 18. Well that's entirely untrue...because YPress has gone to every DNC and RNC since 1992.
ANKITHA
So Tommaso and his fellow YPressers have been covering this convention from outside the barricades, like the juveniles who can't get past those beefy bouncers at the club. But I’m sure there are intrepid young reporters who find their own ways in to get the scoop. And to me, that's a lot better than faking IDs to get a drink.
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