Member News
New media will finally be welcomed into the press gallery, it has been revealed.
The chairman of the gallery, the FT's George Parker, is in discussion with the House authorities about granting lobby passes to bloggers.
PR Week reports that Commons administrators are in favour of the change, but concerned that "an influx of bloggers into the lobby could further undermine the reputation of Parliament".
At present some news websites, such as ePolitix.com and politics.co.uk, are represented in the lobby, alongside journalists who work for newspaper websites, such as guardian.co.uk.
However, popular bloggers, such as Iain Dale, Guido Fawkes and Dizzy Thinks, are not considered eligible for passes.
Parker has entered into negotiations on the issue.
"What the Commons authorities are concerned about is that there should be no precedent set that would create a free-for-all," he told PR Week.
"They don't want to have the House of Commons over-run by bloggers."
Eligible bloggers should be a "proper journalist," Parker said.
"They should be operating for a respectable news organisation or website with a reasonably large number of subscribers or viewers; and that they should be using the pass for the purposes of journalism, rather than coming in and commenting on stuff."
There are around 170 lobby journalists at present.
One leading blogger has said he has no desire to join them.
"So far as I am aware, there has been little pressure from bloggers for access to the Westminster lobby," Iain Dale wrote on his blog.
"I've repeatedly said that I don't want a lobby pass and I can't really see why most other bloggers would.
"Most of us comment rather than report.
"I can see why ConHome, LabourList or LibDem Voice might want one, but for individuals whose blogs centre around comment I just can't see what the advantage would be."
Some MPs and Sally Bercow, the wife of the Speaker, have criticised a Twitter feed that 'spies' on life at Westminster, with trivial information seemingly inspired by Heat magazine's 'Spotted' column.
"Estelle Morris in early looking like she's got a cold," is a typical observation.
There may be resistance to allowing controversial bloggers, some of whom have waged bitter personal campaigns against individual MPs, the run of the parliamentary estate.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd