Journalists boycott Harper news conference as media battle heats up

[tuvor]

OTTAWA (CP) - About two dozen journalists walked out on Stephen Harper on Tuesday after he refused to take their questions, the latest chapter in an increasingly unseemly spat between the prime minister and members of the national media.

The scene of reporters boycotting a prime ministerial news conference was described by Parliament Hill veterans as a first. It resulted in Harper being forced to make his announcement on aid to Darfur to a small handful of reporters, photographers and cameramen outside the House of Commons.

The impromptu boycott was the latest move by journalists in their ongoing tug-of-war with the prime minister over who controls news conferences.

The Prime Minister's Office insists on choosing who gets to ask questions based on a list it compiles.

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