From heckled to shut out: Covering campaigns is getting harder

Hopping out of a black SUV, Doug Mastriano ducks into a side entrance of the Lehigh Valley Active Life center in Allentown, where several hundred supporters have gathered for a “meet and greet.” The Pennsylvania state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate never so much as glances at the half-dozen journalists a few yards away. It all happens so quickly, the photojournalist beside me doesn’t even have time to put her camera in focus.  

For the past hour, two men in black blazers named Michael and Mark (neither would share their last names) have stood by the doors watching us as we wait in the parking lot. As soon as Mr. Mastriano is inside, Michael escorts me and the other reporters to the back of the event space, where there’s a designated press area: a small rectangle outlined in orange duct tape. He tells us we aren’t allowed to leave this area without permission. When a German reporter goes to use