Acting The Role of Reporters

Washington Post reporter Jim VandeHei says Bush spokesman Scott McClellan “is seen as someone who might not tell you a lot, but is not going to tell you a lie. More broadly, we go to the [White House press] briefings if for no other reason to hear the White House spin on world events. They rarely figure into our daily reports because we will talk to Scott and others one on one and not in front of a crowd.”

Setting aside the ridiculous assumption that McClellan tells the truth, which is completely unbelievable unless he’s a braindead robot, can someone tell me why reporters should get their questions answered in private? The press briefings are purely PR exercises and the reporters should refuse to go instead of giving the white house a platform to spin bullshit as news. If the real news is gathered privately, then the press is simply playing a role in a public relations event.

The reader who pointed this out to me said something to the effect of, “it’s easy to see why JD Guckert felt so at home in those briefings.” No kidding.

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