MRE Conference minutes
Nov. 12, 2002
Holiday Inn on the Hill
Washington, D.C.

The Military Reporters and Editors held its first meeting and general elections on Nov. 16, 2002 at the Holiday Inn on the Hill in Washington D.C. The meeting was broadcast on C-SPAN.

Election of officers and directors

Elections were held for the MRE board of directors and officer positions. Votes were taken through secret ballots.

The officers are:
President - Jim Wright, assistant metro editor, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Vice President - Dave Moniz, Pentagon reporter, USA Today
Treasurer - Sig Christenson, military reporter, San Antonio Express-News
Secretary - Noelle Phillips, military reporter, Savannah Morning News
At-large board members are:
Tom Ricks, military correspondent, Washington Post
Arthur Kent, Fast Forward Films, Ltd.
Ed Offley, editor, DefenseWatch magazine
Andrew Cutraro, photographer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Lee Ann Smith, military reporter, The Dothan Eagle
John Diedrich, military affairs reporter of The Gazette in Colorado Springs, was elected to serve as membership chairman. This position is an ex officio, non-voting board member.

Discussions

Discussions took place about the different levels of membership and who qualifies for membership.

There are two kinds of membership available - full and associate. Full members vote in elections; associates have all benefits except voting privileges.

Those eligible for full membership are reporters, editors and photographers at newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations. It was decided that Web media would qualify for full membership. Freelance journalists must show credentials or letter of representation from news outlets to be eligible for full membership. However, it was undetermined whether book authors would qualify.

Defense Department employees, including military journalists and public affairs officers, professors, military association members and other professionals who are not full-time members of the media are eligible for associate memberships.

Wright asked for recommendations for MRE's next step and goals. Suggestions included:
· Searching for funding from a foundation or other organization.
· Affiliating with a university for office space and possibly hiring a graduate student to work in it.
· Developing a relationship with the Washington bureau chiefs for a collaborative effort in pushing for access.
· Getting an MRE representative at the table for Tori Clark's regular bureau chief meetings.
· Developing a web site and bulletin board where members can discuss tips and offer suggestions on getting access.
· Develop professional standards for MRE members. There was concern about enforcement and how detailed they should be.
· Develop an MRE resource for reporters who don't normally cover the military or who are new to the beat.

Peter Neves, president of Milspec Group, volunteered to build a web site and maintain the content. The site would have public areas and private areas for members only.

There was more discussion over freelancers' membership in the organization and the level of proof they need to become full members. It was suggested they show credentials or proof that they earn most of their living as journalists.

It was recommended that admittance guidelines be put in writing to avoid arbitrary judgments on who is allowed membership. Most want to make the group as inclusive as possible. Someone noted that no one, including MRE, can license journalists. Wright said the founding group's main concern was limiting voting privileges to working journalists so they always control the group's decisions and its integrity.

Someone asked about MRE members and their cooperation in future press pools for war coverage. Wright made it clear that members work for their publishers and their papers' wishes supersede those of MRE.

Moniz was asked to develop a liaison at the Pentagon to address specific objectives, suggestions and complaints about press coverage and access.

As for acquiring funding, several foundations and other organizations were recommended. It was made clear the group would not accept money from political or partisan organizations. MRE will not accept money by selling out its virtue or integrity.

There was a short board meeting after the conference at the Hyatt near Capitol Hill. The above membership and "next-step" issues were discussed. No later meeting date was discussed.

-- Noelle Phillips, MRE secretary.

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