Romenesko
noticed an item from Washington Post White House reporter Peter Baker's online chat. Despite Bush's combative behavior at a recent press conference, Baker says Bush "isn't particularly thin-skinned." But that doesn't mean he likes the president.
Bedford, Mass.: It strikes me that Bush is waging a new campaign: the war on journalists. To be sure, some of the fake folksiness is intended to humanize him, but in the last two press conferences Bush has taken repeated digs at reporters--questioning their professionalism, fairness and seriousness. Do all Presidents do this? Does the press corp share the perception that the White House is trying to damage the credibility of journalists? Peter Baker: All politicians take shots at the press, particularly those who are in political trouble. But I haven't taken any digs by the president at news conferences as especially hostile or anything. In fact, compared to most, Bush isn't particularly thin-skinned about reporters and doesn't seem to take what we write personally. As a journalist, I'm much more worried about attempts by the government to hunt down sources and hide information.
