US Press Corps letter to Trump: We're very good at getting info w/o access & we'll work together!
This was written right after the election. I posted it in January but I think it is even more relevant now.
An open letter to Trump from the US Press Corps
By Kyle Pope, CJR, Editor in Chief and Publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review
January 17, 2017
we thought it might be helpful to clarify how we see the relationship between your administration and the American press corps.
It will come as no surprise to you that we see the relationship as strained. Reports over the last few days that your press secretary is considering pulling news media offices out of the White House are the latest in a pattern of behavior that has persisted throughout the campaign: Youve banned news organizations from covering you. Youve taken to Twitter to taunt and threaten individual reporters and encouraged your supporters to do the same. Youve advocated for looser libel laws and threatened numerous lawsuits of your own, none of which has materialized. Youve avoided the press when you could and flouted the norms of pool reporting and regular press conferences. Youve ridiculed a reporter who wrote something you didnt like because he has a disability.
All of this, of course, is your choice and, in a way, your right. While the Constitution protects the freedom of the press, it doesnt dictate how the president must honor that; regular press conferences arent enshrined in the document.
But while you have every right to decide your ground rules for engaging with the press, we have some, too. It is, after all, our airtime and column inches that you are seeking to influence. We, not you, decide how best to serve our readers, listeners, and viewers. So think of what follows as a backgrounder on what to expect from us over the next four years.
Access is preferable, but not critical. You may decide that giving reporters access to your administration has no upside. We think that would be a mistake on your part, but again, its your choice. We are very good at finding alternative ways to get information; indeed, some of the best reporting during the campaign came from news organizations that were banned from your rallies. Telling reporters that they wont get access to something isnt what wed prefer, but its a challenge we relish.
(snip- all good stuff snipped! Go read the article)
Were going to work together. You have tried to divide us and use reporters deep competitive streaks to cause family fights. Those days are ending. We now recognize that the challenge of covering you requires that we cooperate and help one another whenever possible. So, when you shout down or ignore a reporter at a press conference who has said something you dont like, youre going to face a unified front. Well work together on stories when it makes sense, and make sure the world hears when our colleagues write stories of importance. We will, of course, still have disagreements, and even important debates, about ethics or taste or fair comment. But those debates will be ours to begin and end.
(snip)
More, and all worth reading:
http://www.cjr.org/covering_trump/trump_white_house_press_corps.php
Based on this HuffPo article from today, it appears many outlets are following through on working together:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-house-bars-news-organizations_us_58b08a76e4b0a8a9b78213ae?
Lugnut
(9,791 posts)erronis
(15,241 posts)Someone I knew quite well was a WH press secretary.
It's a hard place to be if you try to be an honest broker between the WH and the press.
Apparently it's a much easier place to be if you are a dishonest broker willing to spout whatever inanities you or your boss may say dujour. Probably an automatic revolving door with spokesthings for industry, etc.