Tillerson: 'I'm Not A Big Media Press Access Person' [View all]
Source: Talking Points Memo
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published MARCH 18, 2017, 11:33 AM EDT
Under scrutiny for declining to bring the diplomatic press corps on his trip to Asia this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended his decision in an interview published Saturday, saying that he simply doesn't make press access a priority.
"I’m not a big media press access person. I personally don’t need it. I understand it’s important to get the message of what we’re doing out, but I also think there’s only a purpose in getting the message out when there’s something to be done," Tillerson told the Independent Journal Review.
"And so we have a lot of work to do, and when we’re ready to talk about what we’re trying to do, I will be available to talk to people," he continued. "But doing daily availability, I don’t have this appetite or hunger to be that, have a lot of things, have a lot of quotes in the paper or be more visible with the media."
Tillerson did not bring a crew of reporters on his trip abroad, breaking with State Department tradition. The Secretary of State only invited a reporter from the conservative outlet Independent Journal Review, and she did not file pool reports making other reporters aware of Tillerson's activities. The press complained about the lack of access.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rex-tillerson-media-access
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