Will Obama Be Called Out For Having Scripting His Press Conference The Way Bush Was?
Back in 2003 Bush was criticized by some in the media for scripting his press conferences. Which means, essentially, picking out which reporters would answer questions prior to the event. Meaning that only certain reporters selected by the administration got to ask questions, and everyone else there just had to sit and listen.
Here’s a transcript of then-Press Secretary Ari Fleischer being grilled about it by reporters (video here):
REPORTER #1: Last night after the fifth time the president looked down at an apparent list of reporters, he smiled and he said this is scripted – (interrupted)
ARI: are you going to complain he didn’t call on you?
REPORTER #1: no! no! no! (continues) – which surely suggests he did not write that script, which gave two questions to one network, two questions to one wire service, and one to other big and wealthy media, but left all the rest – including Helen Thomas – ruled out in advance of any chance to ask, and left to serve only as window dressing, and my question is: since you, Ari, are always fair in recognizing us, who was it that wrote that script that the President confessed to, was it Karl Rove, or Karen, or who?
ARI: It was me who gave the president the suggestion on the reporters to call and the president called on all reporters and didn’t call on any columnists.
He then abruptly called on the next question.
25m:50s into the briefing he is asked a followup question again by a second reporter. Here is the transcript:
REPORTER #2: First of all, without regard to who the president called on last night, what’s the reason for working from a prepared list as opposed to doing it in a more spontaneous manner?
ARI: Because, as you know, for many of the people who’ve covered the President’s pool sprays this is nothing new to you. Uh, the President just thinks it is actually a more orderly news conference, rather than to have the usual cacophony of everybody screaming where the person who gets called on is the person who has the loudest voice. I thought it was actually a very… it was a long news conference, uh, it was a solid news conference, uh, reporters were called from all over the place… uh, many people rushed out and bought new… [screams of "NO!!!" audible in the background] … well, many different outlets, the president noted that many people went out and bought new shoes. uh president was pleased to have done it.
Not relating directly to this event, as it happened after publication, Mike Allen, of the Washington Post, wrote an article on President Bush’s distaste for news conferences quoting White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett saying, “if you have a message you’re trying to deliver, a news conference can go in a different direction.” He further stated:
“In this case, we know what the questions are going to be, and those are the ones we want to answer,” Bartlett said. “We think the public will see the thought and care and attention he’s given to a lot of the different questions that are being asked about the diplomatic side and the military side and the potential post-Iraq issue. These are all legitimate questions that he has answers for and wants to talk about.”
Now, according to the Washington Times, during last night’s prime time press conference Obama too had a list of pre-selected reporters that he took questions from including friendly voices like a “reporter” from the Huffington Post and the Associated Press’ notoriously liberal Jennifer Loven.
…Mr. Obama called reporters from a list on the podium, and reporters buzzed afterward about how he didn’t seem to know a single reporter he called on – at least in the front row.
“And let me go to Jennifer Loven at AP,” the president said, looking to his left, and then back a row or two before finding the AP reporter front and center, about eight feet from the podium. “Ah, there you are.”
Remember Obama said he was going to be more accountable than his predecessor? That he was “new politics?” That he represents change? And yet here he is, scripting press conferences so that only a select few friends in the media get to ask questions while everyone else acts as little more than stage props.
I’m sure the media will hold him accountable for that like they held Bush accountable, right?



