Editor’s note: Celebrating press freedom at the LCA Show

I took the train to Albany last week, not to see the budget get passed (we were still waiting on that one) but to see the LCA Show – the 124-year-old comedic revue performed by the capitol reporters of the Legislative Correspondents’ Association.

City & State’s Kate Lisa sang in character as Gov. Kathy Hochul, the “accidental leader” running through running mates – “hope third time’s the charm!” – while Hochul and her partners in government sat laughing (and cringing) in the front row. Then – just like in the Inner Circle Show (the city version I’m proud to be a part of) – Hochul takes the stage and dishes it right back, skewering journalists in a stand-up routine.

It’s hilarious, but it’s also a proud demonstration of the freedom of the press and the independence of the LCA.

But the show went on amid a debate over access to press passes in New York City. It feels wrong that social media influencers would be covering the Luigi Mangione trial while publicly defending the defendant. But I don’t think that city government should do anything about that.

I’ll gloss over the intricacies and nuances of the press pass system and declare simply that I don’t want the government determining who is and isn’t a journalist based on their politics or point of view. I’d prefer we err on the side of press access – even if that means that some press pass holders will reflect poorly upon the professional work done by City & State journalists and our colleagues.