Des Moines Register: Republican leaders in the Iowa Senate will no longer allow journalists to work at press benches in the Senate chamber, ending a tradition that has lasted more than a century. The GOP-majority Iowa Senate has control over who is allowed into the Senate chamber. Its long-standing practice has been to allow reporters, photographers and multimedia journalists to work at press benches along the front wall of the chamber, facing senators’ desks. The setup allows a clear view of legislative debate in the Senate chamber and gives reporters access to senators who can answer questions and clarify their positions. This year, journalists will be seated in the public gallery on an upper level, without access to the Senate floor.