Posted on 02/16/2006 8:42:25 AM PST by george76
Sitting in armchairs waiting for handouts not the best way to get scoops
Members of the elite White House press corps this week have acted more like animals that have been kept in captivity for so long that they can’t find news unless it is forced down their open gullets at a daily press briefing.
The Cheney hunting accident story embarrassingly revealed this fact, which probably explains the greater-than-normal anger and outrage of White House correspondents over the last few days.
“Why weren’t we told?” has been the refrain, not “How did we miss that story?”
The White House press corps does very little news gathering, if by that we mean beating the bushes to find out things.
Instead, they sit in a comfortable auditorium and wait to be told things.
One White House correspondent rarely scoops the others, evidently because the correspondents would rather have the security of getting news handed to them collectively than face the prospect of missing a big story.
Why any self-respecting reporter would want to cover the White House.
Everything was orchestrated.
Nothing was spontaneous.
There was a gentleman’s agreement to make sure no one missed out on a news break, even to the point that, at the end of the day, a light would go on in the press room to alert reporters that they could leave with the confidence that no news would emanate in their absence.
Under that system there was no reward for initiative and no penalty for sloth.
Even if big news were to break while reporters were gone, it was understood that either a) it would be held until they all came into the press room, or b) all would be phoned and notified at the same time.
(Excerpt) Read more at carolinajournal.com ...
Excellent idea...
"McClellen should hold his next presser from the conference room of the Lubbock Avalanche with 15 minutes notice..."
Bratty Kid aka David Gregory is the prime example of these table scrap eating bunch of note-taking gutless wonders
By the sounds of it you also attended these WH briefings or were you in the administration?
Again thanks for the information and I hope your work at the WH was not all bad.
The proper answer would have been...
You've go a degree in journalism? .. Right? Pause "I knew it. You could not have been born that stupid .. You had to take lessons."
Nope, I was a lowly reporter for a radio network and local station in DC.
Thank God, I got that out of my system in the mid-80s. Phew!
You should read William Safire's most recent book about the press from days gone by. Believe me, the press has always enjoyed a low reputation in America - since the beginning. But...members of the press will then tell you that, if that's so, they must be doing their jobs correctly.
Reminds me of a welfare program
"Under that system there was no reward for initiative and no penalty for sloth."
Not surprised they would default to what they know best...Communism.
ROTFL!!
LOL.
Again, thanks for your interesting information.
It is a welfare system.
"Sitting in armchairs waiting for handouts ..."
Another good definition of Communism...
"they can’t find news unless it is forced down their open gullets at a daily press briefing."
They have a strange way of measuring their compentence, don't they?
Yes...me too. Thanks.
That'll be 2 bucks , please.....I have a copyright on that phrase...
:-)
"RALEIGH — Members of the elite White House press corps this week have acted more like animals that have been kept in captivity for so long that they can’t find news unless it is forced down their open gullets at a daily press briefing."
They're sqwawking was probably due to the realization that they've become lazy, which would mean their newspaper boss was going to yell at them...
As a teenager, I was fortunate to work for United Press at a Democrat national convention and four years later at the Republican convention. That was (blush) late '50s, early '60s and back then the real newsmen, a rumpled gritty bunch, were bummed out by the new journalists who were more interested in their hairdos and suits than in gathering news.
TV was and remains the problem. The "news" people now just want to look good on camera.
Any clues?.......You want a clue RE the CLUELESS?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.