“Online journalists will be banned from next week’s CeBIT trade
show in Hannover, Germany. … So far as British Web journalists
are concerned, only those bearing a membership card from the
National Union of Journalists (NUJ) will be allowed past the front
barricades.”
“CeBIT’s ruling affects online journalists from all over the
world, including Dr. Thomas Pabst, CEO of Tom’s Hardware
Guide, the world’s biggest hardware review site, with 1.1 million
readers per month.”
“This discrimination against online journalists means that CeBIT
organisers are deciding which press can and cannot attend vendors’
stands and presentations. With exhibitors’ fees running into
thousands of pounds for each, they are obviously banking on as much
press coverage as possible — both print and online. BM, unaware
until today of CeBIT’s policy, said: ‘As far as we are concerned,
we’re encouraging as many journalists to come along to the stand as
we can.’ “