»» Columnists

White House Stands By Spokesman’s Email To The Boston Herald On Access To Press Pool

by Tommy Christopher | 10:32 pm, May 19th, 2011

» 19 comments

The White House is standing by its refusal to grant The Boston Herald access to the press pool for President Obama‘s Wednesday fundraiser in Beantown. White House spokesman Matt Lehrich told The Herald that pool assignments had already been determined by the White House Correspondents Association, but also said, “I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters.”

Lehrich cited the paper’s full front-page publication of a Mitt Romney op-ed, while ignoring a visit by President Obama on that same front page, as an example of the paper’s lack of fairness.

Asked by Mediaite if there’s an editorial litmus test for access to Presidential events, the White House stood by Lehrich’s statement, but did not specifically address the question of a litmus test.

Here’s the body of the email that I sent to Press Secretary Jay Carney, and to Lehrich:

Do either of you have anything to add to the issue of the Boston Herald being excluded from the pool on the Boston trip? Do you object to the publication of the email? Matt’s email gave the impression that there’s an editorial litmus test for access to Presidential events. Is there such a test?

This is the response I received, from Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest:

Our policy is clearly articulated in the on the record comment that the Herald received on tuesday: in this particular instance, the Boston Globe had arranged with the White House Correspondents Association, independent of the White House press office, to be part of the traveling press pool. As such, there was no need for an additional local pooler in Boston. As we have in the past – including the multiple occasions on which the Herald has supplied local pool reporters – we will continue to consider the Herald for local pool duty during future visits.

Also, you should note that Herald reporters were granted access by the White House: to witness the arrival of Air Force One in Boston, to attend the President’s remarks at his first event and to review the written accounts of the small group of traveling reporters who covered the president’s second event on behalf of the entire White House press corps.

This is a bit confusing, because Lehrich’s original response made clear that the Romney op-ed had nothing to do with the decision to go with The Boston Globe for the press pool, a decision that wasn’t even made by the White House. As Earnest points out (and I concur, from experience), it is not customary to increase the size of the pool contingent to accommodate a special request. Perceived fairness had nothing to do with this.

Why bring it up, then? This press office has never been shy about letting reporters know when they think we’ve been unfair, and this appears to be a somewhat heavy-handed example of that. Their failure to revisit it on follow-up indicates that Lehrich’s remark was not a statement of policy. The fact that they didn’t retract the remark, though, seems to be the equivalent of a “purpose pitch,” just close enough to make you think.

Boston Herald, Jay Carney, Mitt Romney, President Obama, White House, White House Correspondents Association

The Lantern of Truth

Did you speak up and tell them they’re wrong , Tommy .?

Why not stick together and stop this outrage ?

Would Rap Thug Common take this lying down ?
The Lantern of Truth

Just talked to Rap Czar Common .

He said ” Word up, yo . This ain’t right .
Get down , Tommy ,
Get down and fight
This is somethin’ Bill Press even know
You ban one of us , the world gonna know .

Tell it Tommy !

So, I think Common is giving good advice , How ’bout it ?
OxyCon

Veteran Journalists: Today’s White House Reporters Are Too Timid
By PAUL BEDARD
Posted: May 17, 2011
Several veteran and prize-winning journalists who covered presidents from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush say that the current crop of White House correspondents are too timid and deferential and have played a role in killing the impact of presidential news conferences.

“If you watch an Obama news conference, and watched a Bush news conference previous to that, where correspondents sit in their seats with their hands folded on their laps, [it's] as if they are in the room with a monarch and they have to wait to be recognized by the president,” says Sid Davis, the former NBC Washington bureau chief who covered nine presidents. “It looks like they are watching a funeral service at [Washington funeral firm] Joseph Gawler’s and it shouldn’t be that way.” [See photos of the Obamas behind the scenes.]

Adds Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Haynes Johnson, “It’s all very stale, very structured, very pale.”

And longtime NBC and ABC reporter Sander Vanocur: “You want to know what’s wrong with the press? The press is what’s wrong with the press.”

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/05/17/veteran-journalists-todays-white-house-reporters-are-too-timid
OxyCon

MCCONNELL ON OBAMA’S LABOR MOVE AGAINST BOEING: ‘CHICAGO-STYLE, THUGGISH ADMINISTRATION’
tatboy

No president in history has had softer and more helpful press coverage in history (maybe Kennedy) and still been more sensitive about ANYTHING they see as negative. FYI to MSM. Don’t F with us or loose your access the The One.
Barack Must Go

We can’t refer to Obama as a monkey, yet he can run OUR country like a Banana Republic.

Only in Barack Obama’s amerika could something outrageous as this happen…..again.
Dem4Ever

Since Obama has blatantly and tyrannically banned the Herald from his midst they have every right to speculate and so they shall. You have made yet another tactical blunder Mr. POTUS.
lonestar77

Tommy:

Your lack of outrage is noted. I think we all knew that if the politics were reversed, you’d be opening up a big ol’ can of care. Stop being a lap dog. The whole bunch of you should just wear cheerleading costumes to work everyday & get it over with.
Barack Must Go

lonestar77 said:
Tommy:

Your lack of outrage is noted. I think we all knew that if the politics were reversed, you’d be opening up a big ol’ can of care. Stop being a lap dog. The whole bunch of you should just wear cheerleading costumes to work everyday & get it over with.

Or at the very least hats with the likeness of Barack’s penis on them.
Dem4Ever

Clearly the POTUS is troubled by the fact that he is not as beloved as he feels he should be. It is sad that a President should need and almost crave constant nurturing and acceptance, but facts are facts. Maybe we as a people should console him and keep him mentally strong. After all, he does hold all of our futures in his healing hands.
Arch

Psyops said:
CIA IS SUPPRESSING THIS INFORMATION

Mark Joyner Simpleology-Saif Al Adel is the newest FBI’s MOST WANTED TERRORIST. He isn’t hiding. He can be found online posing as “the godfather” of internet marketing.

Google “Mark Joyner Simpleology-Seif Al Adel” and expose this loser.

I see you’ve changed your login name. You’ve posted this multiple times on Mediaite and can only conclude you are trying to get us to Google it, in order to associate Seif Al Adel with someone named Mark Joyner (There’s a Mark Joyner who has a blog. I didn’t read it, but the top story right now was on ending the Fed, hardly a terrorist talking point.). I see you’ve also created a Yahoo Questions question about this (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110518075039AAfPWnS) to try to inspire Google to associate the two names. Were you inspired by what Dan Savage did to Rick Santorum? In any event, please stop spamming our discussions.
TfT

How sad that the media won’t, in this case, support one of their own. Nope, they are afraid of hehimselftheone not granting them access so they can kiss his hiney and bat their eyelashes at him and claim him to be the one, so confident, obamasiah.

Just one more indication of just how useless today’s “jornolists”are.
Harry Flashman

The pool reporters should refuse as one to show up at the next press conference called by Obama/Carney and leave them standing there with egg on thioer face.

But they won’t.

They’ll gaze at their own belly buttons while mumbling something about freedom of the press, but, with a few exceptions, they won’t refute The One.

Pathetic.

What will it take?
Arch

Next thing you know, Obama will plant a part-time gigolo as a fake reporter to ask softball and complimentary questions!
Azarkhan

Obama, like all leftists, does not believe in freedom of the press.
mlb

Yes, there is a litmus test, it is called: “Kiss POTUS arse”

The WH just hasn’t come up with a nice way of putting it out there, so they refuse to comment.

Some actions/choices just speak for themselves. Until the 2012 election is over The Boston Herald will be in the company of many other news outlets, online, print and radio… Lets take a bet on how many times Obama will be on the cover of Time, NewsWeek, Vanity Fair, People, maybe he will even make GOLF this year. Michele will be on GoodHousekeeping, MORE, Self, Vogue, O, throw in the mommy magazines and oh! I can hardly wait… not.
surfcaster

White House Correspondents Association specifically denies making the assignment to the Boston pool, in contradiction to Lehrich’s original, and Earnest’s follow-up comments on the issue:

“The WHCA was not involved in arranging local pool coverage of the event in Boston,” said Caren Bohan, a Reuters White House reporter and vice president of the WHCA…

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/2011_0521white_house_press_pool_rules_muddled/

If the exchange with the Herald was a screw-up, fine. Let it be so. But why would the White House lay an untruth on top of it?
Arch

saifisjoyner said:
ARCH— YOU MUST BE A TERRORIST. GOOD TRY ATTEMPTING TO DISCREDIT THIS STORY SO NO ONE WILL READ IT. THERE ARE PROBABLY 18,000 PEOPLE WITH THE NAME MARK JOYNER. THERE’S ONLY ONE WHO’S OPTIMIZED ALL OVER GOOGLE IMAGES WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE SAIF AL ADEL. GOOGLE THE WORD SHILL WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE ARCH. DON’T WORRY, THE FEDS HAVE YOUR IP ADDRESS TOO. I HOPE YOUR PART OF THE TERRORIST DISINFORMATION ORGANIZATION.

I HAVE BEEN TORTURED AND THREATENED DAILY BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SINCE MARCH OF 2008.

CAN YOU HELP ME EXPOSE THIS STORY?

SAIF AL-ADEL IS A WANTED TERRORIST POSING ONLINE AS MARK JOYNER. THERE IS A FIVE MILLION DOLLAR REWARD FOR THIS GUY ALONE IF YOU CAN FIND WHERE HE IS. TO HELP GET YOU STARTED ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GOOGLE HIS NAME AND THEN RESEARCH THE PEOPLE HE’S SEEN WITH.

Google “Mark Joyner Simpleology-Seif Al Adel” AND READ WHAT I PUT ON SEVERAL BLOG SITES, NOT MAJOR NEWS SITES. SEVERAL BLOGS WILL CLARIFY HOW TO FIND THIS WANTED TERRORIST.

Another new username, huh? Did you give yourself that thumbs up with one of the other two? I thought you were just a crank, but now I think you’re nuts. I wish I could get you help. In the meanwhile, I am probably going to continue pointing out your efforts to Google-bomb this guy, where I see it.
Rescuedog

Tommy, nice follow up, but if either Bush administration had done this you people would have been marching in the streets.