AP and Reuters sitting out of Fox News GOP Debate

[Derechos]

First, a batch of top-tier Republican prospects -- including Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels and Mike Huckabee – decided to sit out tomorrow night’s GOP presidential primary debate, co-sponsored by Fox News and the South Carolina Republican Party.

And now, major media organizations are sitting it out too.

The Associated Press announced Wednesday night that it’s not going to cover tomorrow night’s Republican presidential debate, citing “restrictions placed on media access.”

“The debate sponsors, Fox News Channel and the South Carolina Republican Party, will only allow photos to be taken in the moments ahead of the debate and not during the event itself,” the AP said in an advisory to editors.

“These are restrictions that violate basic demands of newsgathering and differ from other debates where more access was granted. Accordingly, the AP will not staff the event in any format nor will the AP disseminate any pool photos taken by another outlet.”

The AP said the decision was “consistent with longstanding policy” in coverage of events like these, and would be reassessed “should access conditions change.”

Reuters confirmed that it would not be covering the event photographically, because it shared concerns about access. However, Reuters did not confirm whether it would be going as far as AP and not filing text either.

“This is about whether visual journalists will be treated with the same respect that text journalists are treated,” said Michael Oreskes, AP’s managing editor for U.S. News. “The public has a right to see presidential candidates as well as to read about them, and we think this debate should get off on the right foot.”

http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0511/AP_sitting_out_SC_debate.html?showall

[tanyev]

1. So who IS going to be there? Article doesn't even say.

[arcane1]

4. You'll have to pay a broadcast license fee to find out

Or get on DVD for 99 cents next week :rofl:

[NightWatcher]

2. Note to Obama: Just don't screw up and you'll win reelection

The repukes are tripping over the tea baggers and their own incompetence.

IMHO, the biggest challenger, Mittens will have to struggle with belonging to a cult along with the biggest plank in his platform being that he'll run against Obamacare when years earlier he created it and called it Romneycare.

Like I said, avoid the big mistakes and coast in '12. These clowns cant even run a debate without screwing up.

[Skidmore]

3. That will not be a debate but an infommercial for FAUX.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. They don't want pictures during the debate because

the visual of those accumulated losers would only depress the GOP faithful.

:rofl: