"A long life in journalism convinced me many presidents ago that there should be a large air space between a journalist and the head of a state."-- Walter Lippmann
I was a member of "the press" for a number of decades. I carried press credentials in my wallet at all times. Even after retirement I carried that press card for many years, reluctant to part with it. Once a "news hound" always a news hound as the expression goes. (If you have not heard THAT one, you were never a reporter.)