President shutting out reporters

Chicago Sun Times ^ | 4-17-10 | Dan K. Thomasson

[STARWISE]

Hmmm .. looks the presstitutes are finally learning the downside of the Deal With The Devil they made for access = CONTROL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is the press finally tiring of Obama?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010

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If Dana Milbank is any example, they’re certainly not particularly happy with the way they were treated at the just ended nuclear summit in DC:

"World leaders arriving in Washington for President Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit must have felt for a moment that they had instead been transported to Soviet-era Moscow.

They entered a capital that had become a military encampment, with camo-wearing military police in Humvees and enough Army vehicles to make it look like a May Day parade on New York Avenue, where a bicyclist was killed Monday by a National Guard truck."

*snip*

"The only part of the summit, other than a post-meeting news conference, that was visible to the public was Obama’s eight-minute opening statement, which ended with the words: “I’m going to ask that we take a few moments to allow the press to exit before our first session.”

*snip*

Controlling the press through access and the amount of time they’re given with the subject of their interest is a pretty tried and true way less than free countries give the impression of having a free press when, in fact they don’t. I’m not suggesting that’s the case here – yet – but this bit by Milbank suggests that an opinion of how this administration works with the press is forming and it doesn’t appear favorable.

That said, you also have to remember that the press thinks they should have unlimited access at all times, so there is certainly a natural friction there. But there’s also an expected, or at least a traditional level of access that I’m getting the impression the press is not seeing and are just now beginning to grumble about.

After citing a number of foreign reporter’s comments about their surprise at the press restrictions, Milbank says:

"Reporters, even those on the White House beat for two decades, said these were the most restricted such meetings they had ever seen. They complained to both the administration and White House Correspondents’ Association, which will discuss the matter Thursday with White House press secretary Robert Gibbs."

*snip*

"Over the weekend, Obama broke with years of protocol and slipped off to a soccer game without the “protective” pool that is always in the vicinity of the president in case the unthinkable occurs. Obama joked about it later to Pakistan’s prime minister, saying reporters “were very upset.”

*snip*

Unlike Milbank and the rest of the press, I’m not particularly surprised by this.

It has been fairly obvious that this administration has viewed the press as a tool to be manipulated from the beginning – in fact, it was fairly clear during the campaign.

The vaunted “openness” of the campaign was a device used to paint a picture of a candidate who would conduct his presidency the same way. The reality has been far from the promise.

Now the administration has no need – or it seems, desire – to have that promised openness and now the press, which was complicit in building the myth, is upset.

They don’t seem to have yet picked up on the fact that this administration doesn’t see it’s role as that of governance and service. It’s there to rule. And controlling the message and manipulating the press is how one rules.

[STARWISE]

~~PING!

[Republic]

...He has even on at least one occasion shaken the press pool to its foundation by hustling secretly off without reportorial accompaniment....,

Hmmm.....sounds like hunger for more that a good smoke. He is straight, isn't he?

[a fool in paradise]

Who needs a free press when you have a ministry of truth?

[ExTexasRedhead]

“Surely something must be terribly wrong with a man who seems to be far more concerned with a Jew building a house in Israel than with a Muslim buildinga nuclear bomb in Iran.”

Burt Prelutsky,
Columnist

[BP2]

Obama must be afraid that a reporter might slip him a vexing question, like:

[rxsid]

"He has even on at least one occasion shaken the press pool to its foundation by hustling secretly off without reportorial accompaniment, utterly ignoring the possibility that something might happen to him without the knowledge of his subjects, the American people. "

Freudian slip?

[holden]

President Obama and his minions ... seem to have decided that long-held traditions of a ubiquitous free press ... is actually a detriment to his goals

President Obama and his minions know full well a ubiquitous free press is a detriment to his goals.

Fixed.

HF

[Spok]

“cadre of correspondents hungry for excitement”

Excitement or excrement? The MSM, now like a mistress scorned, must continue to scrape and bow for the few crumbs of substance the Annointed One deigns to toss them. The karma, not to mention the irony, is pure poetry.

[Cyber Liberty]

The press will get over it, and resume the fawning this summer, in hopes of forestalling the wipeout coming in November.

[Lady Jag]

[kabar]

No formal WH press conference since July 22, 2009.

[DrC]

“the spoon is often empty of any sustenance”

It’s even worse when the spoon is full of poison.

[soycd]

Our worthless media will continue to fawn over the Kenyan for no other reason than self guilt.

I’m very close to dilligaf ville.

[bergmeid]

I honestly think that’s it in a nutshell right there.

[Moose4]

You wanted him there, Milbank. You helped put him there, Thomasson. You didn’t do your damn jobs in reporting Obama’s true lack of experience and true stands on issues. You drank the Kool-Aid, and laughed at Sarah Palin while giving the less-experienced Obama a pass. I have no sympathy for the presstitutes. None.

You filled your own bitter cup, you sorry bastards. Drink it down. And I hope you choke on it the whole way.

}:-)4

[TMA62]

“.....in a nation where a free and open press is a symbol of everything else we stand for.....”
__________________________________________________________

Yes folks, that was in the article. You people in the MSM actually believe this??? The MSM has enslaved itself to political ideologies. There is NO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS by their OWN doing.

[timestax]

bttt

[Terry Mross]

There were many times I wish Bush had thrown some of the leftist reporters out of the press room and taken their press passes from them in front of all of their colleagues. Not sure it would have been the right thing to do but it would have been funny to watch. Sorta’ like sending the kid to the principal’s office.

Seriously, on my first press conference I would say “Any reporter purposely reporting a lie will lose his press pass. Any questions?”

[LomanBill]

>>access = CONTROL.

 

And that =

 

FAIL!

 

The People's watchdog has been reduced to a pedigreed, toothless, Rainbow-metro-sexual Poodle that won't hunt.