[DesertRhino]

“Free Republic would have to go through the White House vetting process and be certified a legitimate news organization.”

That is not defined in the constitution or anywhere legally. Legitimate means they think they can control it. They hang labels and all, but there is NO difference in reality between a blogger and CNN or Fox except size of audience.
Any other metric is bullcrap.

[righttackle44]

I'm not talking about Constitutional law. I'm talking about policy and procedure. My job before I retired was to analyze legislation and laws and advise consumer organizations about content and process.

Once a policy becomes inbred, then it takes the form of legal precedent. The legal precedents for certifying White House reporters and organization are firmly established. The White House can always fall back on those precedents with some certainty. It would like entail a legal battle to get exceptions made.