The Other McCain

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The Price of Press-Corps Fellatio

Posted on | April 3, 2010 | 14 Comments

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.

Category: Barack Obama, Media Bias

Comments

14 Responses to “The Price of Press-Corps Fellatio”

  1. Dave C
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 1:37 pm

    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. Dave C
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 1:37 pm

    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. Dave C
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 8:37 am

    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.

  4. I seem to recall that a little over a decade ago… « DaTechguy's Blog
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 8:54 am

    […] just knew Robert Stacy was going to have fun with this didn’t you and Ann Althouse and the Mudville Gazette comment, but it is Ed Driscoll who asks the important […]

  5. Joe
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

    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. Joe
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

    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. Joe
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 9:17 am

    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.

  8. Ad rem
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 9:39 pm

    New meaning has been given to the phrase, “blow by blow coverage”.

  9. Ad rem
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 9:39 pm

    New meaning has been given to the phrase, “blow by blow coverage”.

  10. Ad rem
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 4:39 pm

    New meaning has been given to the phrase, “blow by blow coverage”.

  11. Larry Sinclaire
    April 4th, 2010 @ 12:55 am

    Blow jobs in a press sense?

    Yeah, right.

  12. Larry Sinclaire
    April 4th, 2010 @ 12:55 am

    Blow jobs in a press sense?

    Yeah, right.

  13. Larry Sinclaire
    April 3rd, 2010 @ 7:55 pm

    Blow jobs in a press sense?

    Yeah, right.

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    April 10th, 2010 @ 10:13 am

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