The Price of Press-Corps Fellatio

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Ed Driscoll calls our attention to this interesting media dynamic: Every reporter in the White House press corps is writing a book promising “inside access” to the Obama administration, which bends the supply-demand curve for such access.

Reporters are being required to provide fawning “blow job” coverage and then wait their turn for access. So don’t be surprised by the lack of hard-hitting investigative reporting from the White House press corps.

Of course, historically, the White House press corps is the last place anybody should look for hard-hitting investigative reporting. That’s not the function of White House correspondents and never has been. The Watergate scandal wasn’t broken by White House correspondents.

Using the promise of access to keep the White House press corps on a leash is also not a new trick. But the sheer number of reporters hustling Obama books means that this administration has more leverage. In 2001-2002, New York publishing houses weren’t showering book contracts on White House correspondents promising “inside access” to the Bush administration.

14 comments

  1. Who needs a state run media with these guys in their back pocket?

    I’m convinced the reason why you don’t hear about Obama wearing out a new horse every day and a new woman every night is because that doesn’t poll well with a family friendly message.

  2. Who needs a state run media with these guys in their back pocket?

    I’m convinced the reason why you don’t hear about Obama wearing out a new horse every day and a new woman every night is because that doesn’t poll well with a family friendly message.

  3. Who needs a state run media with these guys in their back pocket?

    I’m convinced the reason why you don’t hear about Obama wearing out a new horse every day and a new woman every night is because that doesn’t poll well with a family friendly message.

  5. Every once in a while some White House press corps (or as President BO like to call it, “Corpse”) guy tries to exercise journalism and gets the put-down from the press corp (corpse) magistrate, Gibbs.

  6. Every once in a while some White House press corps (or as President BO like to call it, “Corpse”) guy tries to exercise journalism and gets the put-down from the press corp (corpse) magistrate, Gibbs.

  7. Every once in a while some White House press corps (or as President BO like to call it, “Corpse”) guy tries to exercise journalism and gets the put-down from the press corp (corpse) magistrate, Gibbs.

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