White House press corps feels bypassed by Obama in favor of TV shows, YouTube

[babylonsister]

WHAAAAAA! :cry: What a bunch of whiners. And name me one admin that didn't try to control the message. :nopity:


White House press corps feels bypassed by Obama in favor of TV shows, YouTube

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 8, 2010


Six months ago, network executives were complaining that the White House was costing them tens of millions of dollars by pressing them to carry presidential news conferences in prime time.

Problem solved: President Obama hasn't held a full-scale news conference since July. Instead, he answered a dozen people's questions last week on YouTube, most of them easily finessed and -- extra bonus! -- no annoying follow-ups of the kind posed by real, live journalists.

It would be hard -- impossible, actually -- to argue that Obama hasn't been accessible to the media, not with his constant television interviews. The man has even done color commentary at a Georgetown basketball game. But the decision to bypass the White House press corps is no accident.

"It's a source of great frustration here," says Chip Reid, CBS's White House correspondent. "It's important for us to hold the president's feet to the fire."

NBC White House reporter Chuck Todd calls the situation a "shame," saying the administration is trying to control the message rather than allowing Obama to be seen "unscripted."

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020702693.html?sub=AR

[steve2470]

1. what hypocrites

Somehow I don't recall GWB43 being called on the carpet..... and he really deserved it

[DrDan]

2. I would much rather see him face the press corp instead of some faux empty head

[AndyA]

3. I call BULLSHIT on the White House Press Corps!

Chuck Todd, that piece of crap partisan right winger needs to just shut the hell up. He distorts the "news" he reports, and does not give all sides equal time. He never has, and that's supposed to be OK.

None of them complained like this when Bush went for long periods without a press conference. The press corps hardly held Bush's feet to the fire when he was in office. They ignored the lies about the wars, they ignored the long vacations, where he allowed terrorists to attack because he failed to act on warnings.

The M$M in this country serves only their corporate master's agendas. Yet they still pretend to be protecting the public interest, and keeping the people up to date on what's going on. It's all a charade. Ignore the man behind the curtain, America. Just listen to what you're told, it will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Right. :eyes:

[Jamastiene]

4. On this one, I just want to say:

Hey MSM, FUCK YOU!!! Na na ne boo boo! We don't need to watch you. :middlefinger: :evilgrin:

I like this story. K&R
:rofl:

[JoePhilly]

5. Chip Reid is a tool ....

[Tansy_Gold]

6. The simple fact is that the president is not facing the press

He is, rather like his predecessor if I may dare to make the comparison, avoiding the press in favor of carefully controlled media appearances.

If I remember, he told us we were supposed to hold his feet to the fire. Are we now doing quite the opposite? Are we now saying that what was good enough for booosh is good enough for Obama?



sorry, but it's not good enough for





Tansy Gold

[thunder rising]

8. I disagree. The morons of the press corp simply attend and then write Pug talking points as news

F*ck them.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

9. Yeah, I remember when Bush did a Q&A with the Democrats live on TV

Exactly the same!

:eyes:

"carefully controlled media appearances" my ass...

[BklnDem75]

12. Spare me

Distortion is not holding anyone's feet to the fire. Obama never said he wanted the press to hold his feet to the fire. He's skipping the middle man and going directly to the people. Sorry, your comparison to Bush is just full on fail. There's nothing controlled about any of his appearances, but I suppose you can get a D for effort in trying to squeeze that failed talking point in.

[thunder rising]

7. You know their real complaint is that they don't get to reframe the responses and context and hence

shape the news.

[lunatica]

10. I agree 100%

They love to describe themselves as the gateway of knowledge who shape public opinion. The makers and breakers of kings. They'll stop with the whining when they realize no one wants them.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

11. The "real" media was busy interviewing nutballs in tricorner hats this weekend.

[freddie mertz]

13. The president has nothing to fear from the WDC press corps.

He should hold a conference at regular intervals, just to calm them down and get on with it.