Statement from Anderson Alerts

Nearly one year ago, I was denied membership into the Capital Press Corps. Today, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been approved as a permanent member.

Nearly one year ago, I was denied membership into the Capital Press Corps. Today, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve received my credentials and been approved as a permanent member.

I’d like to thank Kyle Villemain and Kate Sheppard of The Assembly for their support, encouragement and hard work behind the scenes to make this moment happen.

Without them bringing me onto The Assembly’s staff as an employee to anchor a twice-weekly newsletter, this development wouldn’t have been possible. I’m very much excited for my partnership with The Assembly and encourage everyone to become a premium subscriber so they can enjoy this invaluable reporting service.

As one reader told me, this arrangement feels like “a match made in heaven.” I’m excited to see where this partnership takes us. This is a critical year for me. But with the continued support of everyday readers who subscribe to Anderson Alerts and The Assembly, I’ll be able to sustain my continued coverage of North Carolina politics.

I’d also like to express my sincere gratitude to Capital Press Corps President Gary Robertson for reaching this conclusion, with the input from other press corps members who privately advocated on my behalf.

While I’m incredibly thankful to The Assembly and my colleagues in the Capital Press Corps for today’s development, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t saddened by the amount of work it took behind the scenes to reach the conclusion that I am a full-time reporter worthy of a credential.

A lot has changed since 2009. The iPad was created, Ring Doorbells were invented, Venmo launched, Inception was released into theaters, the Call Me Maybe song was a thing, my San Jose Sharks weren’t the worst team in the NHL, grant-funded journalism became the new standard for job postings, reporters started getting evaluated by how many clicks their stories got, the list goes on...

The rules governing who can and can't join the Press Corps, however, haven’t kept up with the times. As a now-permanent member of the Press Corps (albeit one that remains contingent on my continued reporting for The Assembly), I’ll push for there to be no future Bryan Andersons.

I look forward to advocating for the General Assembly and the Capital Press Corps itself to be more accessible. May today serve as a small step toward achieving that shared goal.