We still control the media

I hate to be the only one pointing out the hypocrisy of the Obama administration but it seems the Lame Stream Media won’t. If you remember, I wrote an Opine about how the White House controls the message. They control the who, what and when the press gets to report. They even denies access so as to control the message. While the White House seems to believe the American people deserve to hear from Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, it has not made her available to reporters. The decision to post an interview with Kagan conducted by a government employee - not a journalist - is in line with the Obama administration's policy of regularly using new media tools to go around traditional media. Doing so allows the administration to better control its message - and, in this case, avoid any uncomfortable questions for their Supreme Court nominee.

But the President is all about freedom of the press. President Obama signed the Press Freedom Act on March 17. The new law expands the State Department's annual human rights reports to include a description of press freedoms in each country. It seemed a good opportunity to showcase press freedom in this country. But, directly after the signing the press "wranglers" began aggressively herding everyone out of the room and President Obama promptly refused to take any questions. One reported shouted, "In the interest of press freedom, would you take a couple questions on BP?" which did elicit a smile, and he told the reporter he was free to ask questions. Someone else shouted, "Will you answer them?" He replied he's not holding a press conference today as they were escorted out the door.

Recall that Friday the 14th, the president refused to take any questions after delivering his angry statement on the oil spill in the Rose Garden. And he has not held a prime-time White House news conference in many months, despite much pleading from pundits and members of the media.

Can anyone else hear that outer limits theme starting up? There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission… For the next four years, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Obama Administration.