Visa limits on foreign journalists still being enforced

Josh Gerstein at Politico reports that the Obama administration is still enforcing the visa requirements imposed on foreign journalists under the Bush administration.

Typically, travellers from 35 "friendly" countries can visit here without a visa, but only if they’re just seeing the sights and don’t actually plan to work — then a visa becomes necessary. But journalists coming here to cover a news event weren’t subject to the I-visa rules until 2003.

A partial fix came in 2004, when officials decided that journalists who didn’t know about the new rule would get a one-time pass into the country. But the visa is still generally required, even though American journalists visiting those same countries do not need visas.