--- title: South Carolina Lawmaker Calls for ‘Journalism Registry’ description: A South Carolina lawmaker introduced a bill that would require journalists to be listed in a registry and vetted before they're hired. canonical: https://time.com/4185928/journalist-registry-south-carolina-pitts/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-19T21:59:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T09:07:18.347Z article:section: Politics og:title: South Carolina Lawmaker Wants to Register Journalists With the Government og:description: Republican State Rep. Mike Pitts said he's “not a press hater” og:url: https://time.com/4185928/journalist-registry-south-carolina-pitts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc7810da5feac4d8/698879a12dce0144e99e7672/mike-pitts1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2137 og:image:height: 1202 og:image:alt: Mike Pitts og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: South Carolina Lawmaker Wants to Register Journalists With the Government twitter:description: Republican State Rep. Mike Pitts said he's “not a press hater” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc7810da5feac4d8/698879a12dce0144e99e7672/mike-pitts1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # South Carolina Lawmaker Wants to Register Journalists With the Government > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 19, 2016 9:59 PM UTC  Rep. Mike Pitts is seen on July 8, 2015, in Columbia, S.C. Rep. Mike Pitts is seen on July 8, 2015, in Columbia, S.C. John Bazemore—AP  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 19, 2016 9:59 PM UTC A South Carolina lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a [bill that would require journalists in the state to be listed in a registry](http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160119/PC1603/160119305) and vetted before they are hired by a media outlet. [Republican State Rep. Mike Pitts](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1481533914) said the legislation would create a panel of experts to determine if a person qualifies as a journalist, similar to the process doctors and lawyers go through, _The Post and Courier_ reports. [The bill](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=4702&session=121&summary=B), titled “South Carolina Responsible Journalism Registry Law,” would also keep a “responsible journalism registry” and outline requirements for reporters to reach before they can work in the media. Journalists would also face “minor fines” if they violate the law. Pitts, who last year made headlines for his efforts to [keep the Confederate flag flying](http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150708/PC1603/150709432/1434/pitts-is-face-of-effort-to-keep-flag-at-statehouse) at the South Carolina State House, told _The Post and Courier_ he is “not a press hater” and said the bill is needed to make sure journalists adhere to a code of ethics. He added that the bill is at least partially in response to the press “demonizing guns and gun ownership.” “The problem that I have with the printed press is, like I said, it appears especially in the last decade to me each story has become more editorial than reporting,” he said. “It might just be my perception.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4185928/journalist-registry-south-carolina-pitts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4185928/journalist-registry-south-carolina-pitts/"},"headline":"South Carolina Lawmaker Wants to Register Journalists With the Government","datePublished":"2016-01-19T21:59:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:07:18.347Z","description":"Republican State Rep. 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