NEW YORK (AP) Three New York writers have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the way city officials decide which journalists qualify for a press pass.

The plaintiffs in the case include a freelancer and two online publishers who were turned down for press credentials last year by the New York Police Department.

In each case, officials decided the men weren’t entitled to a press card because they didn’t regularly cover breaking news for a professional news organization.

One of the writers, Rafael Martinez-Alequin, has been a fixture at City Hall press conferences for years, but writes only occasionally on the Web.

A second plaintiff writes a newsletter for city jail guards. The third is a freelancer whose feature articles appear regularly in major news publications.

A spokesman for the mayor didn’t have any immediate comment on the suit.