Everyone Who Wouldn’t Share Their WiFi Password With Jezebel at the DNC

It’s been 8 years since Gawker reported from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where every media outlet in the media tent kept their WiFi password protected. Some things never change…

By Lauren Tousignant  |  August 22, 2024 | 8:48pm
Photo: Getty Images Politics Democratic National Convention
Everyone Who Wouldn’t Share Their WiFi Password With Jezebel at the DNC

CHICAGO — At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Bernie bros were everywhere, Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, and a Donald Trump presidency seemed a little too far-fetched. Flash forward eight years to this week at the DNC in Chicago and, wowza, the United States sure hasn’t aged well. But even if the issues, the candidates, and the social media stars look different, there’s still one thing that connects these two DNCs through space and time: Every media outlet in the DNC media tent still keeps their WiFi network password protected.

In 2016, Gawker blogged about being locked out of every WiFi network. And in the eight years since, literally nothing has changed. The media pavilion behind the United Center has free water bottles, four black couches, and lots of space to walk around—but if you’re not one of the big media outlets who got their own, curtained-off square of space in this giant, sterile tent, then you’re shit out of WiFi.

Some of the outlets that did not share their WiFi password with Jezebel were the Associated Press, CSPAN, Newsmax, The Hill, and NBC. (Also, the DNC. The DNC did not provide the media with free WiFi.) Now, did we ask any of these outlets if they could share their WiFi password with us? That’s not the important question. The important question is why would I, in this day and age, at a political convention with themes like “For the People” and “For Our Future,” have to ask for a WiFi password? Something I hope we all take some time to think about before the next DNC.

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