Press Briefings Section Lacking On Obama WhiteHouse.gov Site

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By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
January 23, 2009 - 10:53 ET
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As a search of whitehouse.gov caches through the site archive.org shows, the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations often featured transcripts of their daily press briefings easily accessible on the Web site. In the case of the Bush administration, this writer can attest that transcripts of daily briefings often appeared within a few hours after having concluded.

But, as the Obama White House page declares, "Change Has Come to America," with the new administration failing to have a place on the White House Web page for daily press briefings.

The redesigned Web home for the Obama administration went live at noon on Tuesday, and contains a "Briefing Room" page that contains seven sections, including a blog, a weekly video address archive, and an archive for press pool reports, but  no section for the daily press briefings.

What's more, the press pool reports section as of Friday at 10:45 a.m. ET remains empty and may ultimately end up being scrapped. As Washington Post's Anne Kornblut reported yesterday on the paper's Web site, the White House press corps is rather possessive of its pool reports and won't make them available to the White House for publication:

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The new White House web site is expected to display many cool things once it's fully operational (which, currently, it is not).

But pool reports -- the informal, quick accounts of the president's movements, generated by White House correspondents for their colleagues' consumption -- will not be among them.

Although there is a spot for pool reports on the WhiteHouse.gov site, the White House Correspondent Association says that was just for Inauguration Day, when it was unclear whether the administration would be able to distribute information given the technical glitches of assuming power.

Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press, the president of the WHCA, said everyone is in agreement that "pool reports are the media's product, not the White House's, and can't be a regular part of their Web site."

"The White House has told me that is their view, too, and it was never their intention to post pool reports on a permanent basis," Loven said.

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


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We need a new Conservative Party

January 23, 2009 - 10:57 ET by jraymondwright

J. Raymond Wright

New Christian Conservative Party of America: NCCPA

http://jraymondwright.blogspot.com/

 

So predictable.

January 23, 2009 - 11:45 ET by mizflame98

For someone who touted a transparent administration, he is sure hiding a lot.

Perfect Demotivator for the Obama Administration

http://www.despair.com/government.html

Well, he doesn't have to, does he

January 23, 2009 - 11:35 ET by legacyrepublican

After all, the media all know about him, they vetted him, they elected him, they put him in office.

So, logically, he is getting press briefings from them telling him what to do.

Hey, I didn't know that the MSM was elected President. \sarc

I hope this continues!

January 23, 2009 - 11:59 ET by jarrett.edwards

Why would this media created President
want to hide from the media? It is just one of the first signs of
incompetence. The media complained of the secretive Bush
administration but I predict that soon they will be longing for a
return to the openness of Bush. If this continues the media might be
the first to experience buyers remorse, since they are dependent on
access to do their jobs. If the President alienates the White House
press corps, it will disastrous for him, since he is only where he is
because of the media. If this continues this administration might
have the shortest honeymoon of any recent administration which will
be great for Republicans.

The last thing they want is

January 23, 2009 - 12:10 ET by mattm

The last thing they want is scrutiny.

I can understand the WH''s attitude.

January 23, 2009 - 12:35 ET by theduck6

If the press didn't want to know a damned thing about Obama before the election why are they suddenly in need of anything save what's released by the ONE? I'm sure they can gin up enough to fill the pot from the pixy dust bins in Obamalot. Shut yer yap and print this now.

 

I don't anticipate much more than a few whimpers as the press would turn in their creds before they would critically cover a liberal over  his actions or inactions.

HEY! How about a funny "Shoe's on the other foot" moment??

January 23, 2009 - 15:48 ET by gopcongress

Remember the genius who programmed the algorithm so that the top search
result for the word "failure" on google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" option
was to bring up George Bush?

www.google.com

Well, specifically, the site it brought up is www.whitehouse.gov, which at the time was President George Bush.

Now that Obama has it.... guess who the google "failure" is now??

1. Go to www.google.com
2. Type in "failure"
3. Click "I'm feeling lucky"

BAM! Obama comes up...

 too

January 23, 2009 - 17:27 ET by red_dragon311

 too funny

 

 

FINALY A REAL CANDIATE FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!

http://zod2008.com/index.htm

He's Neither Black Nor White

January 23, 2009 - 18:15 ET by stratman

Obama's just showing his true color:

O P A Q U E

Obama will be the Democrat's Nixon, less all the good Milhous actually did.

I'm going to need pallets of Pepto and popcorn for the next four years.

In case you haven't noticed

January 24, 2009 - 20:39 ET by TheHistorian

Mark Levin has called Obama Milhous for months (in honor of RMN).

"What experience and history teach is
this - that people and governments never have learned anything from history,
or acted on principles deduced from it."

G. W. F. Hegel

Levin is my current

January 24, 2009 - 22:21 ET by stratman

Levin is my current favorite talkshow host.

I get a tingle up my leg everytime he refers to Obama as Milhous.

I reiterate, Obama will be the Democrat's Nixon, with few of the many good things Richard M. did.

And for good measure, Biden will make Spiro T. Agnew look like Einstein.  I put Biden on the same level as former Cleveland Mayor Ralph J. Perk who's claim to fame is setting his hair on fire while using an acetylene torch at a steel ribbon cutting ceremony.

Sorry Ralph.  You don't deserve to be categorized with Slo-Joe.

Gibbs has a creepy air about him

January 23, 2009 - 22:25 ET by nwahs

This guy Gibbs is a creepy fellow. I never forget the bazaar tantrum he went on accusing Sean Hannity of being anti-Semitic. I predict he doesn't last 6 months. The guy ain't right upstairs. Its fairly obvious.

 I am reminded of the line

January 23, 2009 - 23:05 ET by TN Mom

 I am reminded of the line "No one gets in to see the Wizard!"

 

Dear President Bush,

It's only been 3 days and we miss you.  Please come back and save us from the rookie (with zero experience) behind the curtain.

America

 

"He’s just making stuff up."

January 25, 2009 - 07:44 ET by DontFeedTheTrolls

I noticed at Whitehouse.gov under 'The Administration' the third person listed, after President and Vice President, is 'First Lady Michelle Obama'. Since when is the President's spouse part of the administration? Can we vote for a candidate and not their spouse? Can she be impeached?  Will she still be part of the administration if they get divorced? Talk about arrogant.

D

Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.

Transparent, all right

January 25, 2009 - 12:31 ET by gordon

Yeah, I get it.  He is so transparent, we can see right through him.