New York's all right if you have credentials

New York City has given press identification cards to three bloggers who sued after their passes were revoked, the Associated Press reports.

The bloggers have not withdrawn their lawsuit even though they have been granted press ID’s. David Wallis, founder of Featurewell said, “This is an important first step.” Wallis also said that the City’s system for determining who qualifies for press cards is arbitrary and does not belong in the hands of the NYPD.

A judge has yet to weigh in on the case filed in Manhattan.

The City initially revoked the bloggers’ passes on the grounds that they weren’t full-time professionals and didn’t cover enough breaking news. But one of the bloggers, Ralph Smith, used the credentials to cover everything from parades to breaking news, which he said he covers on a day-to-day basis.

The lawsuit also involved Rafael Martinez-Alequin, a blogger who has been a long-time fixture at City Hall press conferences.

All three held press ID cards for many years before their renewal applications were denied in 2007.

Normal Siegel of the New York chapter of the ACLU, who represented the bloggers, said that besides returning the passes to his clients, city officials expressed interest in talking about possible reforms of the credentialing system.

By Andie Schwartz