According to Sun-Times columnist and long-time Chicago journalist, Carol Marin, journalists at Barack Obama news conferences have come to realize that Obama has pre-picked those journalists whom he will allow to ask him questions at the conference and many of them now "don't even bother raising" their hands to be called upon.
One wonders why journalists are allowing this corralling of the press? Would they have allowed George W. Bush to pre-pick journalists like that? Would they meekly sit by and allow themselves to be systematically ignored, their freedom to ask questions silenced by any Republican? Would journalists so eagerly vie with one another for the favor of Bush like they are Obama's?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sun-Times: Journalists Being Shut Out by Obama
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11 comments:
Go back and check out the pre-war press "conference" where GW did EXACTLY that. He even paused at one point and had a good chuckle about it.
See, here's the thing: just about every little complaint you have about something...it's been done before. By both sides. So knock off the petty "Would they have allowed so-and-so to do it?" BS because you're smarter than that. At least I think you are.
"Go back and check out the pre-war press "conference" where GW did EXACTLY that. He even paused at one point and had a good chuckle about it..."
spot on
this was never more evident, when, during the media blackout following the iraq war, bush regularly shuttled in groups of specific right-wing talk show hosts, to coordinate dissemination of propaganda
this is why, when you hear neocon apologists whine about talk radio being their only acceptable medium, i counter, "oh, yes, it is!", and go on to slay them from there
but barack has appropriated this approach himself, to shield himself from "unfriendlies", using the power of the blogosphere to spread his own version of claptrap
we haven't seen barky in a rush to surrender the special executive powers bush claimed for himself under the guise of a "unitary executive", and "national security", have we?
none of you should really be all that surprised that, in this regard, the new boss is the same as the old boss
Old hash...the new boss the same as the old boss in certain instances....imagine that...
I DO recall some, and not just a few, liberal who were upset at Bush's "manipulation of the media." Now that they are suddenly silent as Obama is doing the same thing, these same liberals are playing out the old maxim about "whose ox is being gored". It will be interesting to see what they think when the same criteria that the DailyKossacks, Huffpos, and other libs used for criticizing Bush: name-calling, questioning his intellect, visceral hatred, are then applied by conservatives to Obama. Wait until you hear the outcry about that!
"It will be interesting to see what they think when the same criteria that the DailyKossacks, Huffpos, and other libs used for criticizing Bush: name-calling, questioning his intellect, visceral hatred, are then applied by conservatives to Obama..."
they already have, amongst themselves, it's not pretty
in case you haven't noticed (and i'm sure you have), hardcore obama supporters view ANY criticism of their messiah, to be blasphemy of the highest order
the first time a lot of folks in my circles began stirring, it was barky's refusal to address the phonetapping in a manner they saw fit, then came prop eight, where they were provoked by barky's refusal to support marriage equality, even though he'd made it clear he was against same-sex marriage throughout the campaign...but the real pop was heard, when rick warren was tapped for the inaugural (many on the left view warren as an outright homophobe, and many believe there should be no religious leaders on the stage at all!)....
it really will be business as usual, with all of the usual players, plus new adds to the roster of insanity...
"it's been done before. By both sides."
Change!
Ya, no president has ever done this before. How shameful!
Actually it truly is but I can promise you the liberals hate corporate media as much as the conservatives do. No one believes them anyway so who cares?
Wait until you hear the outcry about that!
Ya, just you wait!
I doubt anyone will question BHO's intellect as they did GWB's. Even his handlers were worried, back in '01, how the boss would react if the wind kicked up in the Rose Garden and blew his cue cards off before he spoke.
I'll wait at least until the man's been sworn in and actually has his hands on the wheel. Until then, it's just sniping from the usual suspects.
"this was never more evident, when, during the media blackout following the iraq war, bush regularly shuttled in groups of specific right-wing talk show hosts, to coordinate dissemination of propaganda"
I listen to most of the hosts that were "shuttled in". Guess what, Skippy? They have yet to disseminate any but the most insignificant parts of the conversations. The point of the conversations was the opposite of what you've alleged.
"I listen to most of the hosts that were "shuttled in"....
this does not surprise me
"They have yet to disseminate any but the most insignificant parts of the conversations..."
ah, but if you have been a good soldier and have thoroughly absorbed the message to be disseminated, the actual conversations are irrevelant, and you'd never know the truth of what went on anyway
so, in your case, mission accomplished, LOL!
"The point of the conversations was the opposite of what you've alleged..."
unfortunately, the point of their whole "movement", was the opposite of what you'd managed to manifest
america got what you deserved
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