The White House press corps accomplishes very little, access to Obama or no
Henry et al. have kicked off a kind of debate about the Obama administration’s atrocious record of letting the press corps talk to the president. The debate has raged from the pages of Politico to … well, to the pages of Politico. But the magazine/website/cult is right on this one. George W. Bush took questions after 355 events; Obama has taken questions after only 107 events. The president’s held 35 press conferences, but only a few in primetime.
Obama’s contempt for the press corps runs long and deep. In the 2008 campaign, he could go weeks without an “avail.” In March 2008, at a low point before the Ohio and Texas primaries, Obama tried to end a press conference and looked shocked that the press kept shouting at him. “C’mon, guys,” he said. “I just answered, like, eight questions!” …
Surely, the White House press corps can do better than this. “Why bother with The New York Times beat reporter when Obama can go on ‘The View’?” wrote Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen in Politico. “The president has not granted an interview to print reporters at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and others in years. These are the reporters who are often most likely to ask tough, unpredictable questions.”
If that’s true, why isn’t the daily coverage coming out of the White House more interesting? Why doesn’t anything resembling news come out of the daily Q&As?
Blowback
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Actually, they got him re-elected.
Del Dolemonte on February 20, 2013 at 10:07 AM
Heck, they can even find out if he beat Tiger. They’re, like, totally useless.
Dusty on February 20, 2013 at 10:17 AM
What’s particularly amazing about this White House is how little it leaks. Leaks in the sense of policy disputes, people leaking for their own agendas, or over policy differences, et cetera.
They’ve leaked when it’s to their benefit, e.g., the Bin Laden raid. But not in the classic sense of leaking.
SteveMG on February 20, 2013 at 10:32 AM
White House press corps = Fawning Fools.
albill on February 20, 2013 at 10:43 AM
[SteveMG on February 20, 2013 at 10:32 AM]
True. One has to wonder, however, how much the press embargoes. And, of course there is the possibility the press rats the leakers out to the WH. All they need to do it to is one or two for the chilling effect to stop it completely.
Dusty on February 20, 2013 at 10:44 AM
You lie down with donks you get up with fleas, and a sore butt.
harlekwin15 on February 20, 2013 at 10:47 AM
The press would never kill stories for continued “access”, would it? Nahhhhhhh.
GWB on February 20, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Leaks aren’t happening because the media isn’t willing to report them. If anything, the media is liable to report the leakers to the White House and cover up embarrassing information. “State run media” is not hyperbole anymore, if it ever was.
We will see the return of leaks with the next Republican administration, no doubt.
Doomberg on February 20, 2013 at 11:29 AM
They accomplish a lot. They grant azzholes like the French ones to rule the US, for utter shame.
Schadenfreude on February 20, 2013 at 11:34 AM
The news media isn’t a monolith. If there were leakers in this White House the stories would get out. Not every reporter is an apologist willing to look the other way. Many like a good story just as much as they like promoting a ideology.
Nah, I don’t think there’s a coverup; this Administration is unique in its ability to control the message. Obama showed that during the campaign.
They are very savvy as message control.
SteveMG on February 20, 2013 at 11:57 AM
Its about access pure and simple. Play patty cake = get invited to play again
snoopicus on February 20, 2013 at 12:46 PM
Lets face it for a nice $100K per year NYT contract, most would play patty cake with pretty much any president
snoopicus on February 20, 2013 at 12:47 PM