White House Press Corps Spent the Fourth of July Hanging Out With Obama, Off the Record

Gawker ^ | July 9, 2009 | John Cook

[COUNTrecount]

White House Press Corps Spent the Fourth of July Hanging Out With Obama, Off the Record By John Cook, 12:44 PM on Thu Jul 9 2009, 1,046 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp) Copy this whole post to another site

Slurp cancel select site advertising consumerist deadspin defamer fleshbot gay fleshbot gawker gizmodo idolator io9 jalopnik jezebel kotaku lifehacker valleywag artists gawkershop Reporters from more than 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, more than 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." (Well, not the self-same people—we're not sure if Chip Reid and Helen Thomas, the primary antagonists in that exchange, were in attendance.)

There is a cosmic irony at work here: The party was "closed press." (Ha!) It was covered, under onerous restrictions, by a pool reporter—the Baltimore Sun's Paul West. West was ushered in by White House staffers for a mere 40 minutes, so he could record the president's remarks. He was kept in a pen so that he wouldn't run amok and interview someone. He shouted questions at Obama as he worked the rope line, which the president ignored. Then he was taken away. West wrote up his blindered account of the party and then e-mailed it to the White House press corps, many of whom were actually at the party, outside of the pen, hanging out with all the other guests. And then, because they had temporarily signed away the right to do their jobs in exchange for facetime with staffers, a few cold Stoudt's American Pale Ales, and some corn on the cob, their news organizations picked up that pool report and used it to tell their readers what happened at the party. This is how the press covers the White House.

The party was designated "closed press" because it was originally going to actually be closed to the press. But on Thursday of last week, a batch of last-minute tickets opened up, and White House staffers decided it would be nice to invite the press corps. They distributed them to the news organizations, who then decided who to give them to. (We are reliably told it was mostly White House correspondents who snapped them up.) But instead of just opening up the event to coverage, which would have meant spoiling a nice backyard bash with network cameras, radio correspondents, international press, and the vast machinery of live electronic media, the White House decided that it would be more fair to the news organizations who weren't invited if they just kept it off the record. That way, the thinking went, no one's getting special access. As absurd as that sounds when you're talking about inviting a select group of reporters to a party with the president, it kind of makes sense if you have to deal with a host of news outlets jockeying for access. If it's all off the record, a small regional paper can't complain that not being invited seriously hurts their coverage.

What doesn't make sense, at all, is why a group of reporters who have recently begun clinging to the notion that they are independent of Washington's clubby morass of back-scratching self-congratulation would agree to attend an off-the-record party at the White House while one of their own is walled off in a pen like some forlorn scapegoat, doing the job they're supposed to be doing.

[celtic gal]

Sounds like it was a grand Pravda Party on our first Dependence Day!

[celtic gal]

That is dressed up??? She looks preggers to me and what is with the washer woman hairstyle. Yuck

[madinmadtown]

At least a whore knows what she is and gets paid for her services.
The WH press corps aren't even in the same league as a high class call girl....all they got was a hot dog or hamburger and the chance to see a comedian and rock group whose heydeys were about fifteen years ago.

[Canedawg]

“...they should be targeted as accomplices.”

They ARE The Fifth Column.

Your tag line is becoming more and more appropriate.

[kenth]

Poor woman, didn’t anyone tell her to stop at the laundry bag?

[celtic gal]

I would add to that, The One as well..and I just returned from Iceland where they think this guy is great...I told him there is a section of the community that view him as a 21st century Hitler...they were stunned to hear me say that.

[My Favorite Headache]

If Bush even hinted to something like this we would be hearing shouts from the rooftops.

[freekitty]

Gee, what happened to the Military families?

[celtic gal]

I forgot to add that while there I met some people from Maine..they are in the tank for O and said he deserves more than 6 months...and then bashed Bush. I told them many conservatives were not happy with many things Bush did but he kept us safe from more attacks for 7 years to which they said, stupidly, that for the 8 years before Bush we were safe..they forgot about Kobar Towers, the Cole, the Twins in 1993, the two embassies etc..but we were safe. These dummies have such selective memories and will stand by their Hitler until the “rooster comes home to roost” in their stupid faces and then will still blame conservatives.

[ItsForTheChildren]

I wonder who got the ticket at Fox News?

[greyfoxx39]

White House Press Corps Spent the Fourth of July Hanging Out With Obama, Off the Record

Well, why not? They're his "homeys" after all!

[txlurker]

I would add to that, The One as well..and I just returned from Iceland where they think this guy is great...I told him there is a section of the community that view him as a 21st century Hitler...they were stunned to hear me say that.

Interesting and depressing.

[max americana]

Mostly white liberal reporters with their white liberal guilt hanging out with a black man to make themselves feel better and to fool themselves they are not racist.

Anything to add?

[RoseofTexas]

WAY back in the times when the mediaWHORES weren’t pimping themselves, I actually had faith in them to report the truth...NOW, I despise them and avoid them at every turn. I don’t have much use for them, don’t care to know what they think..etc. Guess who is laughing all the way to the bank thanks to the Jackson family?!! BUNCH of lying SOB vultures!!

[greyfoxx39]

Star ——s?

[WVKayaker]

Obama daughter Malia will share her 11th birthday tomorrow with more than 1,200 guests for the big Independence Day bash at the White House, hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The event will honor military service people and their families, and include White House staff and their families, too.

As a side note, this is the first Obama family birthday to be celebrated at the White House, and may be the only one for 2009. The First Lady's birthday was just prior to Inauguration Day, and last month, Sasha's birthday was celebrated in France. In August, during President Obama's birthday, the family will most likely be on Martha's Vineyard, an island in the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts, for a brief vacation. -OBAMA FOODORAMA *A DAILY DIARY OF THE OBAMA FOODSCAPE, ONE BIPARTISAN BYTE AT A TIME (click for the site...)

[thesearethetimes...]

Interesting is it not, how that “batch of tickets” miraculously became available after the press had their little dust up with Gibbs...

I wonder how they are feeling the morning after, laughs, because they were most certainly had at a VERY cheap price.

Tatt