Obama Stiff-Arms All Four Major Newspapers At Presser
It really is striking that President Obama didn’t take a single question from any of the major newspapers at last night’s press conference. No questions from The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, or The Wall Street Journal.
As Michael Calderone says, “that might not sit well with the already insecure newspaper industry.” Keep in mind that Obama stiff-armed The Times once before, denying them their traditional interview with new Presidents until weeks into his first term.
That said, all this talk about Obama’s circumventing of the White House press corps “filter” as some kind of grand strategy is vastly overstated, both in terms of last night and in general. Obama took questions from all four major networks last night — NBC’s Chuck Todd, ABC’s Jake Tapper, CBS’ Chip Reid, and Fox’s Major Garrett.
More generally, the claim that the White House is going over the heads of the traditional media straight to the people has been a staple for decades. It’s true that the Obama team is beginning to do this to greater effect than his predecessors, but it’s less the result of any ingenious strategy than it is an outgrowth of the rapidly shifting media landscape. The fracturing of information channels in the new media age and the weakening power of the big news orgs are driving this as much as anything.
Interestingly, the changing media landscape also makes it more likely that Obama will succeed in the long run at this long-held White House dream of defining the presidency outside the traditional media filter. It’s hard to gauge the success of such efforts, and they look a whole lot more successful when the President is popular than when his numbers are in the toilet. But it seems to be already happening and is perhaps, in the end, inevitable.
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Greg
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I have to disagree with you here for a few reasons. The first of which is the fact that President Obama had in like 5 regional newspapers for an interview before the presser which flew under the radar. Thats especially note worth after he bypassed the national papers at the presser. That says to me that he thinks its more important that he talk to the regional papers that are outside of the Washington bubble and therefore more likely to shape the story without all of the Villager memes than it is to kowtow to the Village and that to me is GINORMOUS. Secondly the video to the Iranian people as well as the op ed he wrote for world papers but didn’t put into papers here at home again shows that he wants to go around the beltway crowd to get his message out with less of a Washington filter on it.
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I think he is sending a not so subtle message to the Village that should they continue writing in what many percieve as an out of touch with the rest of the nation fashion he will find ways to get his agenda out to the public without them. Its striking how many of the articles and I am not just talking about op-eds published in the NYTimes and the WaPo are out of touch with nearly all of the polling data. With the Washington media they keep trying to shift the nation’s focus to little sh*t instead of the big issues and it appears that President Obama is not going to just sit back and allow them to do that in a time of crisis. I support that notion ENTIRELY.
I think it’s interesting that he calls on people more who have criticized him more in the past. Chip “Ugly Democrats” Reid. Jake “Did I smell cigarette smoke on him?” Tapper and Major “Let me phrase a question so I can work in the words Socialist and Communist” Garret. It’s a sharp contrast from Bush who only seemed to call on friendly reporters. Obama is confronting them head on.
If the intention was to bypass the national papers in order to get better questions, Ed Henry and Chuck Todd did a good job of making sure it didn’t work.
DJShay
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I have marvelled at that too but I think its part of a bigger strategy. Here is the deal, no matter what President Obama says its likely that Henry, Reid, Tapper, JMart, Garrett, and Scherer will criticize him. For that reason it makes sense to call on them so they can ask their own questions and he can confront them directly instead of allowing them to side swipe him when he answers someone else’s question. Now its likely that FoxNews will focus on Garrett’s question, ABC will focus on Garretts questions, CNN hasn’t stopped focusing on Henry’s question since last night. So in that way its like President Obama is dictating what each cable network will be talking about the next day AND he is controlling his own response to whatever shade they are going to try to throw on it. Very smart strategy in my opinion.
That should be ABC will focus on Tapper’s question but I think you get what I mean.
I’m sure the idea was to get the networks to ask reliably asinine and right-wing questions so that Obama could shoot done Republican talking points and let everyone know who’s the grown-up in town. He was successful on all counts. Newspapers only threaten to gum things up by asking substantive questions.
The infotainment reporters try and make themselves the story – it’s actually embarrassing to watch. And then you have CNN desperate to spin last night to protect their boy.
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What is also ridiculous is the talk abouthow Obama was serious, somber or even angry last night. Not a day or two before he was slammed for going on Leno and then laughing too much on 60 Minutes. The 24 hour news stations need their story I guess.
The guy from the Chicago Tribune/LA Times totally panned the press conference.
He quickly concluded that there were “no memorable moments”, that Obama was ‘less at ease’ and then included this extremely revealing comment:
So in this guy’s world view, you have the NYT, WSJ and the LA Times (i.e. ‘mainstream Americans’) in one corner while in the other you have the ‘niche audiences’ consisting apparently of latinos, blacks and the American Armed Forces.
Sounds like Col. McCormick came back and wrote this himself!
I am waiting for Obama to call on a blogger or two at one of his press conferences — the Politico doesn’t count. How about Greg Sargent or Jane Hamsher or Steve Benen or Josh Marshall?
And I just got the “you are posting comments too quickly, slow down” error message.
I wish there was time for more questions. He holds forth, which I like, but some of the follow-ups are stupid, basically reiterating what they first asked, and Obama offering no additional meat. Can he just skip the follow-ups? Although I don’t think he ever would have made it to the major dailies or Time and Newsweek. Did he call on any of them in the first prime time news conference?
A question put to a cable TV reporter will be featured immediately after the presser ends by his/her network (the networks promote themselves, of course). So there’s a potentially workable means of seeding the narrative.
Otherwise, spreading the questions across a wider horizon of news agencies does open up the President-to-people opportunities which might be more constricted under the old model. But I’d note too that there’s also a notion of inclusiveness and egalitarianism in much of what Obama is up to and one might see this as but another instance.
msmolly
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Don’t forget that President Obama called on a blogger from HuffPo in the first presser.
He called on the WashPost in his first presser, and got a question about ARod and steroid use!
Might not sit well? Let them come after him if the news papers don’t like it. They will get slapped just like Ed Henry did.
Well, that would be of concern IF the major newspapers wrote their piece on the question that they ask. But they don’t. Instead they agonize over how they can formulate a GOTCHA!!!! question, but then even though he gives a substantive answer, they write their pieces on ridiculous trivia like teleprompters and THEIR opinion of the press conference and never write anything on what they asked their question about. Like, who cares what they thought of it?
The major newspapers are part of the MSM and have not done a good job investigating and interpreting for well over a decade. Obama is smart to reach out to new media which is earning it’s credentials with in depth investigation, analysis and truth telling. Many of the big names only spew their preconceived message regardless of what he says. In this time of crisis, we deserve better. I am hopeful by his willingness to engage the new voices.
I can’t be the only one who noticed that Obama seemed to speed through his opening remarks last night, talking faster than usual. When you only have an hour you can only get so many questions.
Obama was sending a message by not going to the major newspapers – last time he did he got the silly “steroids in baseball” question.
I love how the papers feel they need to trash on the presser because they didn’t get a question. Would then have respond differently if he did call on them? What does that say about their coverage?
Now this is how it’s done. Stephan Collinson from AFP, who got the last question which was on Israel-Palestine writes a report on the entire press conference, including up top, the question he asked:
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“At a prime-time news conference on Tuesday, Obama also vowed to stay focused on enormous foreign policy challenges, arguing that Middle East peace was not getting easier but remained as vital as ever.”
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Read his whole piece, it’s excellent. Good journalism should be rewarded.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090325/ts_alt_afp/usfinanceeconomypoliticsobama_20090325133631
The networks have become infotainment channels or shills for the special interests who now own them. CNN followed the same path after purchase by Time-Warner. The four major papers in question have evolved into outlets for off the record comments and propaganda leaks planted by the government. A few major press organizations still support real investigative journalism — McClatchy does a super job, especially regarding issues in its own market areas.
Newspapers are failing as world and national news sources, because we can get **** faster elsewhere. Why buy it a day late? Bush was the perfect president for the modern media: glib, arrogant, simplistic and lazy.
Too bad. Now we’ll never know Obama’s take on A-Rod’s Details mag spread.
Hmmm Collinson wrote a whole other piece on his Israel/Palestine question.
“Mideast peace not getting easier: Obama”
Tell me again why the Washington Post and New York Times should get questions and not this guy, or Stars and Stripes? Greg? Anyone?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090325/pl_afp/usmideastpoliticsdiplomacyobamaisrael_20090325031758;_ylt=Ahn9×4pfJ16GRRqe_Ukt8mWsOrgF
i like some of the comments here concerning cable “infotainment” and the newspaper, very thoughtful. thank you.
President Obama likes to spread the love around judiciously. He’ll get to them too, eventually. Remember, Obama said he was going to shake up the old Washington ways of operating, and this is but one more example of that. He also understands the rising clout of the blogosphere, including sites like The Plum Line. Smart man.
Do the “major” newspaper reports fell entitled to ask a question…say because Ebony, Stars and Strips etc. are just not up to their standards. Isn’t that a little like Bank CEOs saying they are entitled to their bonus. Give me a break, the President let’s everyone have a shot, and that is good a good thing.
Glad to see the big boys in the Village have retired to Snitsville to cry in their beers. I would like El Presidente to ask one question at least from a blogger at his pressers. It will, over time become the thing to do.
The NYT writers were remarkably petulent in their article about the presser. Little villagers must have them some hurt wittle feelings…
Wonderful. To hell with the bush enabling media.
“Obama took questions from all four major networks last night — NBC’s Chuck Todd, ABC’s Jake Tapper, CBS’ Chip Reid, and Fox’s Major Garrett.”
is it any coincidence that all four of these guys, with the possible exception of Todd, are major douchebags?
well, FX, they’re all TV talking heads, which explains a lot.
What about PBS?They’re who I rely on for my news. And if Obama really wants to shake up the status quo, how about inviting and calling on members of the London Times, Le Monde, Reuters, BBC, CBC and others I can’t think of off hand.
Plumliners
I love yall to death but we got to put some muscle behind our mouth
Obama told us from day ONE ..that he can’t do this by himself.
He has done the most POWERFUL thing he can..put the changes we want in the budget!! Where it is filibuster prove..now WE have to PUSH it through
We have to activate and mobilize everybody in our e mail addresses, everybody that is your neighbor and friend has to understand why this is important. TELL THEM
The media is NOT on our side, just like during the campaign. WE have to BE the CHANGE!!!
Tell them to write/call their congress person and tell them to pass HIS budget.
The budget is THE CHANGE we voted for.
Obama NEEDS us.
He needs our voices..WE ARE THE CHANGE we have been WAITING for
PLease act on it
iF WE WANT CHANGE
we have to ACT!!! MOVE this BUDGET through Congress…channel your outrage into this
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/26/house-...
Don;t leave OUR PRESIDENT hanging…we are the ones that make his POWER meaningful
CHANGE is US!!!
Get on it!!
Tell everyone spread the word,.
Make them DO what we VOTED for!!