Since working with InstantCard I’ve become increasingly curious as to security measures taken during special events—the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, say. Did you know that for journalists alone there are seven different accreditation categories? (In case you never saw the need for having multiple, different ID card templates, this might make it a little more clear!)
Because I find this rather interesting, I’ll copy the Rio press security categories here for you (of course, you may always just visit the official site to see the same information):
JOURNALIST (Category “E”): Journalist, editor, photographic editor, employed or contracted by an international or national news agency, a general daily newspaper, a sports newspaper, magazine or internet site, a digital journalist, or independent or freelance journalist under contract.
SPORT SPECIFIC JOURNALIST: Journalist specializing in a sport on the Olympic Games program, meeting the same criteria as defined for category “E”
PHOTOGRAPHER: Photographer meeting the same criteria as defined for category “E”
SPORT SPECIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER: Photographer specializing in a sport on the Olympic Games program, meeting the same criteria as defined in category “E”
TECHNICIAN: Technician, meeting the same criteria as defined for category “E”
SUPPORT STAFF: Support staff (office assistant, interpreter, etc). Access to Main Press Centre (MPC) only. Assigned only to press groups or organisations that have reserved a private office space in the MPC
Non-rights holding broadcasting organisation: Member of a non-rights holding radio and/or television organisation.
That’s a lot of different types of journalists who need secure credentials. I don’t even what to think about what’s required to manage all of the volunteers! (OK, I do want to think about it a little—Imagine all of those ID badges!)