May, 2010 archive

It’s revolutionary!

Glenn Greenwald has a post about unhappiness amongst the White House Press Corps.

Depending on who exactly is telling the story,

• the reporters think that they are not treated with enough respect,
• the Obama White House is not transparent enough,
• the administration is more likely to give scoops to reporters they like (surprise, surprise),
• Robert Gibbs should make massaging their egos returning their phone calls and emails his A-Number-One priority and not delegate anything to his staff, or
• what-EVUH.

Indeed, the topic came up on Diane Rehm’s Friday News Round-Up last week and was rapidly laughed off when one of the guests, a reporter, pointed out that he or she (I can’t remember which) suspected that the American people really don’t care if the White House Press Corps’ noses are a little out of joint.

I lost patience when they were complaining that Mr. Obama dared attend his daughter’s soccer game before a lot of them had shown up for work, rather than commending him for trying to make a moment for fatherhood. (See Note) Let the man have some privacy (well, as much privacy as the Secret Service would allow) with his kid, for Heaven’s sake).

Greenwald points out that, according to several reports he has heard, reporters are afraid to complain publically for fear of retaliation (that is, someone else might get the scoop) and wonders

National political reporters are furious over various White House practices involving transparency and information control, but are unwilling to say so for attribution due to fear of “retaliation,” instead insisting on hiding behind a wall of anonymity (which Politico, needless to say, happily provides). Isn’t that a rather serious problem: that the White House press corps is afraid to criticize the President and the White House for fear of losing access and suffering other forms of retribution? What does that say about their “journalism”? It’s the flip side of those White House reporters who need the good graces of Obama aides for their behind-the-scenes books and thus desperately do their bidding: what kind of reporter covering the White House would possibly admit that they’re afraid to say anything with their names attached that might anger the President and his aides? How could you possibly be a minimally credible White House reporter if you have that fear? Doesn’t that unwillingness rather obviously render their reporting worthless?

They are called “Villagers” because they think it’s all about them.

Note:

According to the story at the link, which seems sane compared to the loonies were tried to claim there was no game, most of them were planning to show up by 11:30 to be with Mr. Obama for something else on the schedule. Mr. Obama decided at the last minute to attend the 9:30 game. By the time the White House staff had rounded up the reporters who were present and loaded them in a van, the game was over.

This makes much more sense than the reports from the wingnut loony bin claiming there was no game.

Speaking of the wingnut loony bin, Shaun Mullen has another round up of the week in wingnuttery.