Kushalini blog

Boehner rejects C-SPAN request for cameras in House

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) this week officially rejected C-SPAN's request to allow the cable network to operate its own video cameras in the House of Representatives, Michael O' Brien .

The only video of the House available to the public comes through cameras the chamber itself controls. And those cameras aren't supposed to focus on anyone but the individual speakingwhich means the public never gets to see anything else happening in the chamber.

No speaker has allowed a private entity to set up video feeds of the House, but C-SPAN continues to make the request, fighting for access and transparencyand (so say network executives) a better news product.

"We continue to feel that the public is best served by seeing a more complete picture of the legislative process than what's delivered by Congressionally-controlled cameras and will continue to work with Speaker Boehner and other leaders in the House in hope of one day gaining access on behalf of the media," C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb said in a statement, O'Brien reported.

Boehner did announce his support for for broadcast correspondents who report from the House.

(Photo of Boehner: Charles Dharapak/AP)