Eric Boehlert: White House reporters push back -- just in time for Biden

[babylonsister]

https://pressrun.media/p/white-house-reporters-push-back-just

White House reporters push back — just in time for Biden
The slumber ends
Eric Boehlert
50 min ago

snip//

After four years of Trump's White House spokespersons categorically refusing to answer questions with substance, and instead leaning into lies, obfuscations, insults, and empty promises to provide journalists with answers at a later date, it's strange that Biden's press team is being criticized for trying to be prepared.

News outlets collectively failed to defend themselves against Trump's purposeful onslaught of attacks and misinformation. Yet journalists become indignant over a minor process issue surrounding today’s White House briefings?

One Politico reporter, who writes about the White House, went on a Tuesday Twitter rant, insisting Biden's team was trying to silence reporters by occasionally asking what questions they were going to ask in advance. She called the policy "harassment" and "fake news" by another name. She stressed it meant, "If Psaki doesn’t like your question, she doesn’t call on you."

When it was pointed out that Psaki routinely calls on every reporter in the briefing room, and that to date not a single White House correspondent has claimed they've been silenced, the Politico writer insisted the blacklisting could happen in the future.

snip//

In four years, Trump launched more ugly, damaging attacks on the free press in America than the previous 44 U.S. Presidents, combined. Serious journalists should have walked away and refused to become extras in the Trump charades — refused to legitimize his scheduled rants, which were thinly disguised as press briefings. Yet the White House press rarely launched a serious response.

To be suddenly indignant about the new Democratic administration making inquiries about press briefing questions seems petty and hypocritical, given the media’s timidity under Trump.

[PJMcK]

1. One Politico reporter...

Need I write more?

[babylonsister]

2. Daily Beast is also guilty, as is

faux by jumping on the band wagon. From the article...

Yet just weeks in, some reporters are banding together and suggesting there's something nefarious afoot. According to a rather breathless account from The Daily Beast, "The new president’s communications staff have already on occasion probed reporters to see what questions they plan on asking new White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki when called upon during briefings."

Presented as deeply troubling, the report suggested the Biden team is trying to manipulate the press and pull one over on the American people. "The press can't really do its job in the briefing room if the White House is picking and choosing the questions they want,” said one anonymous White House correspondent said. “That's not really a free press at all.” The journalist added that the White House's procedure "pissed off enough reporters" for the White House Correspondents Association to take note of it.

Fox News eagerly played up the story on Tuesday, claiming that inquiring about possible press questions, "makes them look unprepared."

[mountain grammy]

17. unbelievable..

but so sadly true.

[PatrickforO]

20. 'Deeply troubling?' Really?

Idiots.

[PatSeg]

21. Oh for Pete's sake

They are back to creating stories about issues that don't exist. It sounds like some are determined to create an adversarial relationship between the press and the White House. How quickly they forget four years of Trump. They have no idea how good they have it.

[uponit7771]

35. THIS !!!! ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾 They need eyes on headlines so they do the crappiest form of punditry

[PatSeg]

37. I suppose some of it could be

cutthroat competition among reporters, wanting to out sensationalize one another and maybe even get to be a cable news contributor. In the midst of the rat race, many of them may lose their perspective. Meanwhile, the real stars are often those investigative reporters, who do the hard work and break history making stories, in the tradition of Bernstein and Woodward. Fortunately, many of those still exist and have really contributed more to our democracy than many people realize.

You know, it is great to have reporters out there looking for corruption and maleficence, but it is journalistic malpractice to create such stories. That's why the lazy and inept often end up at Fox News.

[uponit7771]

38. "That's why the lazy and inept often end up at Fox News." I saw this morning on FAUX News they

... were comparing the MTG etc to the squad as if anyone on the squad was endorsing murder.

[PatSeg]

39. Jeez, more of their stupid "both sides do it" crap

As if extremism is equally distributed among the parties.

[Raster]

3. Politico Tiger Beat on the Potomac...

...and that's being charitable.

[ResistantAmerican17]

14. A "Pecker" like shitcan.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. The alternative is Psaki saying

she doesn't have the information, hasn't spoken with Biden or the cognizant official about what's being asked, state the Biden policy of "if you don't know, don't guess" and tell the reporter she'll get back to him or her tomorrow with the answer.

[PatSeg]

23. Exactly

And then she would start to sound evasive and a lot like Sarah Sanders with all her non-answers. They are faulting Psaki for trying to be as transparent and informative as she can. In a recent press briefing, I noticed she was starting to look a tad stressed, as if she was suppressing her irritation. She accused a reporter of "putting words in my mouth". She is really doing a good job and not everyone appreciates it. Maybe the honeymoon is over?

[DeminPennswoods]

27. Would bet she's thinking

"so this is why Trump WH stopped giving press briefings".

[PatSeg]

36. I wouldn't be surprised

Meanwhile, I am so impressed with her. I'm sure she'll snap at someone now and then, but she is such an improvement over those who came before her. So far, she might be the best I've seen from both Democratic or republican administrations. I think the respectful and civilized attitude trickles down from the top.

[uponit7771]

34. +1,

[mopinko]

5. this dude is a national treasure.

[PatSeg]

24. He is truly "The American President"

in so many ways. Everything we idealize what an American president should be, but most fall short. I am so glad that I've lived long enough to see this moment in history. Makes up for missing FDR!

[mopinko]

25. i meant boelert, but

i agree w you about biden.

[PatSeg]

31. Oh, okay

We can have more than one national treasure!

[flor-de-jasmim]

6. It's projection on the part of the media - certainly, THEY are not prepared for Psaki!

[George II]

15. Actually it's not on the part of the media, it's on the part of ONE Politico reporter....

Wonder who she is?

[PatSeg]

29. I tried to find out

but couldn't find the Tweets he was referring to.

[cayugafalls]

7. This is why we can't have anything nice. Whiney ass babies that forget from whence they came.

Fuck these pikers.

Jen Psaki is actually answering questions instead of firing back stupid conspiracy theories and bullshit.

Fuck them, just Fuck Them.

[2Gingersnaps]

8. God forbid Psaki take a variety of questions and give them answers

instead of standing up there smirking letting them know how fake, stupid, and irrelevant the tRump misadministration thought they were.

[Ferrets are Cool]

9. It's what they do. Jen just needs to continue to use her position to

control the room. I think she is up for it. If they don't comply, kick them out.

[kacekwl]

10. While Rush is still breathing he needs

something to tell his cult to be outraged about. Then all the imitators follow. Some things never change.

[KS Toronado]

11. So now it starts, MSM attacking the Biden administration

For years right wing media has painted all of MSM as "Liberal & Socialist" etc. for going after Qrump.
Appears they are just doing their jobs after all, holding powerful people accountable for their actions.
Unlike Faux Qews who fell over themselves bragging about how great a president Qrump was and how
vile all "D"s are.

[Mr. Sparkle]

12. These are conservatives in the media whipping up fake news. Its who they are, and what they do!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

13. I keep saying it. These motherfuckers with their subservience to 'Pukes and

their laziness, are gonna be the death of us.

[HariSeldon]

16. Make rules like the UK Parliment's Question Time

Biden's press secretary (Psaki) will bring answers to all the questions posted, but a name is attached to the posted question and that posting is public. Also, Psaki doesn't have to take any shit for any question that isn't posted and still calls on all the reporters. Make this her official policy.

[Lonestarblue]

18. Does no reporter think that knowing topics in advance might help Psaki be prepared with answers?

That’s like leading a business meeting with no agenda and no clue what information the attendees need to make decisions for the business. Not a good use of anyone’s time.

Whoever the Politico reporter is, she’s being ridiculous. Much of the media gave Trump a free pass for at least the first two years of his presidency. I think it took more than that time for someone to actually publish his “misstatements” as outright lies.

One thing I want the Biden administration to do is beef up support for NPR and PBS so they can more easily ignore the wishes of the Koch Foundation and others like them. As a long-time NPR listener, more than 30 years, I noticed the change in who was being interviewed and how stories were presented after right-wing sponsors got involved. They’re still better than most media, but they need to truly be “public,” not reliant on rich sponsors with a political agenda.

[gratuitous]

33. That's my question

Are the reporters complaining about this nontroversy looking to get substantive answers to their questions, or are they secretly hoping that their ingenious zinger of a question will result in Psaki combusting spontaneously?

The part I like best about Boehlert's story is that when apprised of the vaporware nature of his complaint, the Politico reporter frets that maybe sometime in the non-specific future things might go sort of bad/wrong. A special little snowflake whose every slight - real or imagined, mostly imagined - must be assuaged.

[malaise]

19. Politico is a ReTHUG rag

that is all

[Jay25]

22. You just can't win.

[Tommymac]

26. Last night MSNBC host had a WH Reporter on saying this...

Can't remember if it was Chris Hayes, Lawrence O., or Brian Williams...

Lots of 'eye-rolling' went on but the host let them spew out the bullshit.

I think it was the politico asswipe, usual bothsider shit and that 'it was troubling, I'm concerned, etc.' that Psaki is trying to silence us.

I hate the media sometimes.

[DeminPennswoods]

28. Sam Stein perhaps?

He was a guest on MSNBC last night. He was recently with the Daily Beast, iirc, but the MSNBC on screen ID now has him as with Politico.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

30. What a sham, you silence was golden keep it that way

you were not yelling and screaming and dump and his lying ladies and sean "biggest ever "spicer were you ????

[spanone]

32. Politico....Screw 'em

[MagickMuffin]

40. Who is this mysterious politico reporter? Why NOT name her?

I could probably guess, but I forget her name but she is a RWer and always trashes the Democratic Party.

[Squinch]

41. I bet we can all guess the name of the politico reporter.