Journalist Andy Kroll applied for credentials for the annual ALEC- three day conference in Washington D.C. According to Andy, his credentials were rejected due to his current situation- working with a little publication known as Mother Jones.
Mother Jones article
There were dozens of press credentials laid out on ALEC conference's check-in table when I arrived Thursday morning. Mother Jones' was not among them. ALEC's board of directors had refused my request for credentials, according to spokesman Bill Meierling.
When asked why I'd been turned away, Meierling pointed to our previous coverage of ALEC and said it's clear that Mother Jones "fundamentally hates" ALEC. We've covered ALEC for more than a decade with the 2002 expose titled "Ghostwriting the Law," coverage of the group's proposals regarding voting rights and workers' rights, and more recently the departures of big-name corporate members.
In the article Andy points out that journalists can cover the main speeches but are not allowed in the "private" conferences where legislators from around the country are provided with model legislation to introduce at their various state legislatures.
I believe in the modern ethic where one should base daily decisions in the light of day. Further, be prepared for any decision to go to the front page of a newspaper. Can you defend your position if it hits the light of day?
Under this definition of ethical behavior- ALEC clearly fails. What a bunch of scumbags...