The airlines have been charging fees for everything on an airplane. The GOP decided to join in the fun:

For the first time, Republican presidential nominating convention organizers are poised to charge print journalists for a seat in the convention hall.

GOP convention organizers are proposing charging news organizations $150 per seat in the writing press stand, which would include a chair, a table and access to electricity. The move has the press’ representatives up in arms, arguing it makes convention coverage a “pay-to-play” scenario.

The Congressional Print Gallery, which credentials newspapers for the conventions was not happy:

“The press, as representatives of the public, should not be charged to cover elected officials at an event of enormous interest to the public,” they wrote. “The convention committee said reporters who don’t pay still will be allowed into the arena. But the vantage points they will be given will not allow them to follow convention proceedings, gain access to the convention floor to interview public officials, nor file stories on the event.”

But to be fair, the Democrats have not ruled out such a fee either:

The Democrats have yet to make a decision on whether to charge a similar fee for their convention. “Obviously, this is a different year in terms of funding,” Democratic National Committee convention spokeswoman April Mellody wrote in an email, “but it’s too early in our planning for a definitive determination on this.” – RollCall

With public funding of conventions now history, expect more nickel and diming from the parties.