On December 17th, representatives from several media outlets met with White House officials in an unsuccessful attempt to gain more access to President Obama for White House pool reporters and photographers.
This meeting comes only days after a December 12th White House press corps revolt during a press conference at the White House. Reporters pressed Press Secretary Jay Carney hard on why the President has been so reticent to allow photographers from the press pool to snap his photograph as he goes about his duties.
Obama has developed a habit of using only his own photographer and sending those photos to the press as if they were “news.” This practice has been condemned by many in the media as “government propaganda.”
This argument has been flying under the greater media radar for Obama’s entire presidency and has only now started to gain some traction among reporters upset at their constant exclusion.
During the December 12th presser, reporters impatiently pointed out to Carney that President Obama has been more restrictive than every other president in modern times, and they demanded that Carney end the restrictions.
During the recent meeting with White House officials, White House Correspondents’ Association President Steve Thomma said they asked that Obama officials “operate with the presumption that they will grant access every time the president does something of public interest.”
The December 17th meeting resulted in no resolution to the issue.
Here is video footage of the December 12th presser:
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