What the hell is Piers Morgan talking about?

[Liberalynn]

I don't follow him on Twitter, don't watch him either, but he is being retweeted by British actress Gina Bellman (Leverage) who I do follow.

He is saying White House Press Corp doesn't care about gun control and how the President's handlers had to prompt the press to ask about Newtown?

What happened? What were they asking about?

[DURHAM D]

1. Fiscal Cliff

The President had a presser today to discuss gun control issues. The questions were all about the fiscal cliff/negotiations.

Love Sophie Devereaux

[Liberalynn]

7. Okay that makes sense

I love Sophie and the whole crew too.

[spanone]

2. i think there was one question about gun control and it was snark from jake tapper

[Liberalynn]

8. It's unfortunate that was the case.

The press should be able to multi task by asking about gun control and the fiscal cliff.

[bigwillq]

3. Had Newtown not happened

I doubt very much the President and Congress would be talking about gun control.
At least they're doing the right thing and finally addressing it.

[Liberalynn]

9. This is true.

[srican69]

4. I did an op about this...the effing press corps

Asked a ton of questions on fiscal cliff..and took the attention away from gun law proposal...

[Liberalynn]

11. I get people are concerned about the fiscal cliff, I am concerned about chained CPI

but that doesn't mean we should quit talking about the gun issue either.

[Enrique]

5. here is an account from the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/dec/19/white-house-press-corps-obama-news-conference

One of the first rules of being a journalist (we've just now looked them up) is: you don't have to ask the questions the person talking wants to answer. You can ask anything. And the White House press corps proved it on Wednesday.

After announcing a new panel on gun control to be headed by vice-president Joe Biden, the president, weariness writ on his face, the pain of Newtown still heavy in his voice, offered to take questions.

The first question was about … the fiscal cliff. So was the second one. So was the third one.

The press exercised its freedom. It was not an impressive display.

Given an opportunity to speak for a nation aching to hear that something real is being done about guns, the White House corps reverted to its Beltway worst, bypassing a needed conversation to stroke a personal fixation.

Perhaps worse, the president took them up on it, delivering long-winded, rambling, repetitive answers that were alarmingly reminiscent of a stump speech.

The fiscal cliff is important. It was appropriate for the president to take a question about it. And he did get one good punch in, accusing Republicans of being so caught up in defeating him personally that they had lost sight of the public good. That line should play well in the evening newscasts.

But to watch the exchange play out at the top of what most everyone else hoped would be a conversation on gun control was discouraging. The implication was that perhaps it is impossible after all for the USA to discuss the matter. You know what we can talk about? Congressional gridlock.

The gun control questions did eventually come. Then, at the end, ABC News' Jake Tapper nailed it, pointing out that the president hasn't done much on guns in the last four years and asking, "Where have you been?"

Obama showed his frustration. He said he was dealing with the worst economic crisis since the great depression, two wars and a bunch of other stuff. "I haven't been on vacation," he said.

The news conference mercifully ended there. Where the conversation goes remains to be seen.

[Liberalynn]

12. Thanks. That is a good account.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Piers has been great on the issue of guns

Not a fan of his generally, but he understands that the gun lobby doesn't give a shit about the victims of gun violence (and has called them on it) and he's probably extending that judgment to the WH press corps, rightfully so.

[Liberalynn]

13. Good for him on calling them out.

[JaneyVee]

10. This DC Press corp will go down into the cesspool of history.

[srican69]

14. they are champion navel gazers

They just know how good they themselves are.

[Liberalynn]

17. I like the phrasing

[Jennicut]

15. Oh, but they sure loved exploiting Newtown, it's people and my state for a good few days.

Gotta love the media.

Now that all the "tragic" stories have been pretty much told, and the children are being buried, can they get the hell out of CT already?

[Liberalynn]

18. It's typical of them and sad

[Cha]

16. "At News Conference, Reporters Skip Past Gun Control and Face Instant Criticismf"

Updated The harshest judges of those in news media are often others in the news media, and, with the benefit of Twitter, that intrajournalistic watchdog role can be performed simultaneously with the journalism being criticized.

Case in point was the White House news conference on Wednesday afternoon, when President Obama made a forceful announcement in response to the massacre of children last week in Newtown, Conn. He said he was directing Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to lead an effort “to come up with a set of concrete proposals” about dealing with gun violence that he would submit to Congress no later than January.

Media watchers on Twitter — mainly other members of the media and some whose job it is to watch it — quickly seized on the questions as a sign that the Washington press corps was out of step with the national agenda.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/at-news-conference-reporters-skip-past-gun-control-and-face-instant-criticism/?smid=tw-share

h/t http://theobamadiary.com/2012/12/19/heads-up-president-obama-speaks-at-diplomatic-corps-reception/#comments

[Liberalynn]

19. They are out of step with the national agenda

and afraid to tick of their right wing bosses all at the same time.

So much for the "infamous liberal media bias."That is one of the biggest crocks the PUKEs ever sold.