The U.S. Secret Service has clarified some of its screening procedures for members of the media attending the upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions.

According to a memo sent by the Congressional Press Galleries on Tuesday and obtained by POLITICO, members of the press can attend both conventions without participating in a Secret Service background check if issued a press ticket; and though it may only give them access to the same spaces as regular invitees and not to the areas secured by the Secret Service, the Republican filing center previously designated as a "secure zone" will no longer exclusively be so. Also, registered media organizations whose journalists are denied Secret Service credentials based on a background check will have some opportunity at recourse.

The memo follows on news of a new media credentialing process for the conventions this summer, where Secret Service has taken on an expanded role and plans to conduct background checks on reporters akin to what one would go through to enter the White House and for the Pope's recent visit to Washington.

Some media organizations raised the alarm after those procedures became clear. The agency explained to POLITICO last month that this change was intended to ameliorate situations were press had last-minute access issues, instead giving all reporters "secure zone" clearance to places such as the backstage areas (though it will be ultimately up to the respective committees to decide who gets access to which areas).

The memo also states that reporters who had not gone through the Secret Service background check will now be able to enter the press filing center at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, which had previously been designated as a "secure zone.” They will go through a screening process before entering the facility, whereas reporters who have the Secret Service credential will be able to enter directly from the convention site via a special shuttle (at the Republican Convention the filing center is about one mile away from the convention site. At the Democratic convention the filing center is on site).

BuzzFeed Washington Bureau Chief John Stanton issued a strongly worded letter to fellow journalists last month, urging them to speak up about the new processes as a "troubling precedence to try and exert authority over the press corps." The expanded role for the Secret Service stems from a 2013 presidential directive — Presidential Decision Directive 22 — that gives the Secret Service the task of “access control,” a senior law enforcement official explained to POLITICO last month. Access control includes background checks on anyone at the event who may need access to secure areas, from vendors to press, to law enforcement and party officials.

The Secret Service also added a recourse if there is a problem with the background security check, and will email organizations requesting clarifying information should they find a problem in a background check, the memo states.