Growing A Set: Broadcast nets rejects Obama admin’s attempt to block Fox
From Hot Air:
The collected Washington bureau chiefs of the major broadcast networks rejected a White House attempt to keep Fox News from participating in pool reports. Rather than cut Fox out of the pool, the broadcast bureau chiefs unanimously told the Obama administration that none of them would accept any interviews from administration officials. That forced the White House into retreat:
The Obama administration on Thursday failed in its attempt to manipulate other news networks into isolating and excluding Fox News, as Republicans on Capitol Hill stepped up their criticism of the hardball tactics employed by the White House.
The Obama administration on Thursday tried to make “pay czar” Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the White House pool except Fox News. The pool is the five-network rotation that for decades has shared the costs and duties of daily coverage of the presidency.
But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks consulted and decided that none of their reporters would interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included.
The administration relented, making Feinberg available for all five pool members and Bloomberg TV.
We certainly give these broadcast networks plenty of criticism. Let’s take a moment to recognize their integrity. Jake Tapper stood up to Robert Gibbs earlier this week, and we wondered where the rest of the reporters at the White House were. They certainly showed up today.
Meanwhile, how bad is this for the White House? They now have all of the broadcast networks on record defending their competitor as a news organization. That reinforces reporting Fox News will do in the future, to the detriment of White House efforts to marginalize them. Plus, obviously, they look completely foolish in having to back down from their threat.
Go read the whole thing.
- White House Above The Law (foia)
With a hat tip to Constitutional Insurgent of Libertas and Latte from USA Today (March 16, 2015): White House office to delete its FOIA regulations The White House is removing a federal regulation that subjects its Office of Administration to the Freedom...
- Obama's Monday News Blitz
From White House Dossier: As the lead-up to his prime time presidential speech on Syria Tuesday, President Obama Monday will conduct interviews with the NBC, ABC and CBS network anchors, as well as with PBS, CNN, and Fox, according to a White House official....
-
White House meets privately with press to discuss Benghazi From Breitbart: In the White House’s latest efforts at transparency, the administration announced to reporters that it would brief reporters on the latest shocking developments about the...
- Latimes:obama Admin Warning Dem Consultants Not To Go On Fox News.... Or Else
Democratic consultant says he got a warning from White House after appearing on Fox News 'We better not see you on again,' the strategist says he was told by a White House official. Obama aides have taken an aggressive stance against...
-
New York Times h/t Hotair Behind the War Between White House and Fox By JIM RUTENBERG WASHINGTON — Late last month, the senior White House adviser David Axelrod and Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive of Fox News, met in an empty Palm steakhouse...