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White House Press Corps Happy to Attend Barack Obama's Off-the-Record BBQ
Gawker ^ | 7/9/09 | John Cook

Posted on 07/09/2009 7:19:02 PM PDT by JRochelle

Reporters from roughly 30 television networks, newspapers, magazines, and web sites celebrated the Fourth of July with Barack Obama at the White House last weekend. Why didn't you know that? Because they were sworn to secrecy.

We reported yesterday that Politico's Mike Allen was spotted milling about as a guest at the White House's "backyard bash" by the pool reporter, who was allowed into the event for 40 minutes and kept in a pen before being ushered out. When Allen quoted from the pool report in his Playbook column the next day, he deleted a reference to his own name and didn't bother to tell his readers that he was actually at the party.

Well, he wasn't alone. Gawker has learned that the White House gave tickets to virtually every major news organization that covers the president—the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, CBS News, and so on, about 30 in all. The reporters were invited to attend on the following condition:

"You are being invited to attend this event as a guest. Blogging, Twittering or otherwise reporting on this event is not permitted. If you feel that you cannot agree to abide by these ground rules, please don't claim a ticket."

That's right: Much of the White House press corps spent the Fourth schmoozing with White House staffers, catching performances by the Foo Fighters and Jimmy Fallon, and watching the fireworks from the most exclusive vantage point in the D.C. metro area, all off the record—not to mention off-the-Facebook and off-the-Twitter. These are the same people who just a week ago were whining in the press briefing about Obama's malicious and dastardly attempts to "control the press."

There is a cosmic irony at work here: The party was "closed press." (Ha!)

(Excerpt) Read more at gawker.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: 20090704; abcnews; allen; bbq; bho44; bhopress; biasedmedia; cbsnews; cnn; independenceday2009; mediabias; mikeallen; msm; nbcnews; newsweek; newyorktimes; obama; politico; staterunmedia; synchronizingwatches; time; washingtonpost
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1 posted on 07/09/2009 7:19:02 PM PDT by JRochelle
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To: JRochelle

My goodness. I don’t believe I saw the top-rated cable news network included in that list.


2 posted on 07/09/2009 7:20:41 PM PDT by digger48
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To: JRochelle

..........kept in a pen ..........like a press pig pen? lol


3 posted on 07/09/2009 7:21:01 PM PDT by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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To: JRochelle

Foo Fighters? NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


4 posted on 07/09/2009 7:23:44 PM PDT by txhurl (Put the pressure on and keep it on until this administration snaps.)
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To: JRochelle
Haven't finished the article yet, but something tells me
Major Garrett was not on the guest list.
5 posted on 07/09/2009 7:23:47 PM PDT by JerseyJohn61 (Better Late Than Never.......sometimes over lapping is worth the effort....)
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To: JRochelle
yes,BUT...have they paid their taxes? All the taxes? !
6 posted on 07/09/2009 7:26:45 PM PDT by timestax (CNNLIES..BIG TIME)
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To: timestax

‘...have they paid their taxes? All the taxes? !....’

Geithner probably lent them his tax program and most likely they’re all Dems ....so they don’t have to pay.....


7 posted on 07/09/2009 7:31:49 PM PDT by 4integrity
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To: JRochelle

I hope they all lose their jobs, and have to go to the White House looking for a meal.


8 posted on 07/09/2009 7:39:25 PM PDT by popdonnelly (The Democrats have returned to their game of supporting totalitarian regimes. Now they're muslim.)
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To: digger48

Wonder how much they had to pay.


9 posted on 07/09/2009 7:40:08 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Socialism is the belief that most people are better off if everyone was equally poor and miserable.)
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To: JRochelle

Sorry, but I think this is a non-story.........

“About 50 members of the White House press corps accepted President Bush’s invitation last night to come over to his house in Crawford, eat his food, drink his booze, hang around the pool and schmooze with him — while promising not to tell anyone what he said afterward......

The invitations to the reporters were issued on the condition that they not discuss conversations at the event.”

Friday, August 26, 2005

http://busharchive.froomkin.com/BL2005082600706_pf.html

I wouldn’t be surprised if this dates back to Lincoln....


10 posted on 07/09/2009 7:40:27 PM PDT by JoeDetweiler
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To: 4integrity
most likely they’re all Dems ....so they don’t have to pay.....

Oh ..that's right, I forgot!

11 posted on 07/09/2009 7:41:32 PM PDT by timestax (CNNLIES..BIG TIME)
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To: JerseyJohn61

Are you serious?? Major Garret has been swallowing the Omaba Smuc for two years now.


12 posted on 07/09/2009 7:43:02 PM PDT by RossA
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To: JRochelle

He owns them and no one is even pretending he doesn’t.


13 posted on 07/09/2009 7:47:33 PM PDT by Spok
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: JRochelle

More Presidential openness. He has a party and the revelers are sworn to secrecy..
Good Gawd. What have we gotten ourselves into.


15 posted on 07/09/2009 7:51:16 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: JoeDetweiler

“Sorry, but I think this is a non-story.........”

Good point, lets go after Obama on the important issues.


16 posted on 07/09/2009 7:55:35 PM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: JoeDetweiler
Slight difference there. Bush was inviting them to his private home. Obama was using the White House and undoubtedly taxpayer money went to buying the silence and goodwill of the press.
17 posted on 07/09/2009 8:04:35 PM PDT by eggman (Obama's Spread the Wealth will work just as well as Spread the Liabilities (sub-prime mortgages))
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To: JoeDetweiler

I think the point is that they were sworn to secrecy in order to attend.
We all know they gather at various functions for all administrations.


18 posted on 07/09/2009 8:11:29 PM PDT by jackv (The darkness hates the light!)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...

Venezuela steps up control of television, radio
(just “democratizing the airwaves”, says Hugo)
Reuters on Yahoo | 7/9/09 | Reuters
Posted on 07/09/2009 2:34:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2289171/posts


19 posted on 07/09/2009 8:16:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: JRochelle

did they invite Fox?


20 posted on 07/09/2009 8:21:22 PM PDT by airedale ( XZ)
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