Tapper Thumper: Is Obama ‘Preventing Actual Reporters’ From Covering White House?
May 27, 2009 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Censorship, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Media Bias, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 3 Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
On May 20, ABC’s Jake Tapper asked a few salient questions about coverage of an April 27 incident at the White House basketball court, a sort of event after the event that the White House press corps was barred from covering. Tapper wondered then why the president barred the press but it later became clear that Team Obama was creating its own little media report “complete with cuts, interviews, and chyrons identifying who’s speaking.”
Tapper subtly warned that the president’s penchant for controlling the message smacks of an Obama Ministry of Propaganda styled effort that excludes “actual reporters” from covering the White House and leaves the country with faux news that is free of any “uncomfortable questions” asked by probing journalists.
At issue is a pick-up basketball game on the White House court that President Obama hosted with NCAA champion basketball team the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies. The impromptu game was joined by the Lady Huskies after Obama met publicly with team members and their families, a meeting that the White House press corps was permitted to observe. But, as Tapper shows, reporters were “not allowed to attend” the impromptu basketball game held after the official meeting.
Reads the print pool report from that day: “After shaking hands with the team’s parents and members of Congress who showed up, the president walked the team over to his basketball court and shot hoops. The pool was held back from the stroll down the drive and around the corner, and couldn’t see the court. Poolers could hear periodic cheering coming from the other side of the bushes.”
The lap dog media snubbed by The One! Ouch.
But here is the thing, coverage of this basketball game appeared on Obama’s new media extravaganza that Tapper dubs “OTV.” The real press was not allowed, but Team Obama created its own media coverage instead.
So, why was the real press kept away from this simple basketball game and how many more times in the future will Obama’s handlers exclude the press from covering the president in the people’s house? Further, is this Ministry of Propaganda styled, presidential approved “media” coverage the sort of thing that American’s should be concerned about? Isn’t it a troubling proposition to have the White House excluding the actual press to create its own media reports for public consumption? Even if the Old Media is so often a lap dog for Obama, isn’t his outright dismissal of them something to raise eyebrows? Further, would that snubbed White House press corps allow without comment a Republican president to do this sort of thing?
Speaking of penchants, Tapper is well known to cast a zinger or two and he didn’t disappoint with this little Political Punch posting. Remembering how past presidents have bemoaned how vicious the press was to them, Tapper unleashes this amusing little jab:
Do Obama White House officials think their media coverage isn’t flattering enough?
Certainly a tacit admission that the press has let Obama off easy thus far. But Tapper’s chief criticism is one we should all wonder about.
It’s perfectly fine, of course, for the White House to put out its own version of events — but is it right to do so by preventing actual reporters from covering something? (Even something like a pickup basketball game).
Is the goal to ultimately replace the pesky photographers who film what they want to and not what they’re told to (not to mention the annoying reporters who ask uncomfortable questions about, say, detainee policy and bank bailouts)?
Heady questions, indeed.
So, are you ready for your “OTV”? Tapper ain’t so thrilled. We shouldn’t be either.
(Photo credit: The American Press Institute)
____________
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research, educational, or satirical purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site/blog for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please register to do so. I hate to do that but there are so many spam-bots out there that deleting spam comments would be a full time job if I were to just open it up for anyone without asking them to jump through a few hoops first.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. Anyone can register. No registrant's information is kept, used, or sold. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Social Networking
Help the Soldiers!
American Genius
Our Founding Ideas- The Declaration of Independence
- The Federalist Papers
- The U.S. Constitution
- Debates of 1787
- The Anti-Federalist Papers
- The Writing of John Locke
"Governments are instituted among men,deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
Subscribe in a reader
Tweets by @warnerthuston
Recently Written
What THEY Say:
Foreign News In English
Click HERE for information
on my fedora collection.Antique Stetsons, hat history...
Contact Us
Email Publius' ForumArchives
| Blog: |
| Publius' Forum |
Topics: |
| Politics, News, Commentary |
