Heading to Washington, D.C., to attend the Presidential Inauguration? You’re bringing your camera with you, right? Well it shouldn’t come as any surprise that heightened security measures across the Washington area will affect where you can go,
what you can bring with you, and what you can do to cover the inaugural events.
In an effort to help the estimated two million people who are expected to attend some of the events, the Citizen Media Law Project just published a legal primer on attending and documenting the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.
The 2009 Presidential Inauguration is actually a series of events held
over four days. The festivities start Sunday, January 18 with a “kick off”
event at the Lincoln Memorial and conclude Wednesday, January 21 with a
prayer service. A list of official events is available on the Presidential Inaugural Committee website, and a map of Washington displaying where the various events will take place is available from The Washington Post.
We expect that many attendees will want
to document the events, whether for purposes of reporting on a blog or
other website, or simply to create a personal record of
their own experiences. During the Inauguration, strict security measures will be in
place across the area, particularly where official
events are taking place. These security measures, as well as tickets,
permits, and credentialing requirements,
will impact what you
can do to document the events.
While many inaugural events are open to the public, free of charge, some
events, like the ten official Inaugural Balls, will require a ticket to
attend. The Presidential Inaugural Committee handles ticketing for
official events other than the swearing-in ceremony, which is handled by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. You should check the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s website for information about which events require tickets, and how you can acquire them.
Your location and what events are
taking place at the time will influence what legal and other limitations you
may be subject to. Generally speaking, you should have no problem if you bring small, handheld still and video cameras and
carry them in a small bag (but not a backpack). While we found nothing
written that suggested any size limitations on cameras, officials told
us in telephone conversations that small, handheld equipment is the
safest bet, given that security screeners have discretion to prohibit
any item “that may pose a threat to the security of the event.” To the
best of our knowledge, small microphones and other recording devices
will be permitted as well.
To help you navigate the security requirements and get the most out of the Inauguration, we’ve created a Guide to Documenting the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. The guide is the product of a tremendous amount of work by Alexandra Davies, a third-year law student at Harvard Law School and a participant in the Berkman Center’s Cyberlaw Clinic. Alex researched the many security directives and made countless telephone calls to officials at the Secret Service, D.C.
Metropolitan Police, U.S. Capitol Police, and the National Park
Service in order to get to the bottom of what is permitted and prohibited at the Inauguration.
The Citizen Media Law Project began rolling out its Legal Guide, with the generous financial assistance of the Knight Foundation, in January 2008 and continues to add information addressing the legal
issues creators of citizen media may encounter as they gather
information and publish their work. The guide is intended for
use by citizen media creators with or without formal legal training, as
well as others with an interest in these issues. You can access the full guide to documenting the Inauguration here: Documenting the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.
