For third time, Sen. Coleman denies press from “press conference”

This afternoon, videographer Chuck Olsen of The UpTake held a “press event” (pictured above) in response to another refusal by Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign to allow an UpTake reporter into a public campaign event. This is the third time this fall Coleman’s campaign has barred entry to an official event without explanation.

How Coleman defines “legitimate” media: Minnesota Democrats Exposed By Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent Today, Norm Coleman’s campaign for the third time kicked The UpTake out of a press event for not being “legitimate” media. While the Coleman camp won’t discuss its definition of “legitimate,” we can draw our own conclusions. Apparently allowed into the press conference The UpTake’s Tom Elko was booted from: Minnesota Democrats Exposed blogger Michael Brodkorb.

In a liveblog related to the Coleman/Al Franken recount, The UpTake’s Michael McIntee writes of today’s Coleman press conference:

Tom Elko was our reporter. He says he asked nicely several times and was not admitted. He says he finally turned on his camera and started asking the Coleman campaign why only certain members of the press were being admitted to what the campaign called a “press conference.” Tom will have a video report on that later today.

On two previous occasions, the campaign has barred entry for the organization, at a late-campaign event with Coleman and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and at an Oct. 9 “media availability.” The Minnesota Independent, an online-only, nonprofit, perspective-based news outlet, was also denied entry, yet left-leaning Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman was welcomed in, as was Joe Kimball from MinnPost.com. Coleman staffer Tom Erickson told me the event was for “credentialed” media, but when asked how such credentials could be obtained, he said the event was for “legitimate” press. (Neither Coleman nor his staff have responded to my Oct. 19 email asking for details on their credentialing process.)