A Bipartisan Thorn
It’s encouraging to see that figures most often noted for their irascibility against right-leaning politicians can find fault with the other side:
Following a testy exchange during today’s briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas told CNSNews.com that not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press the way President Obama is trying to control the press.
“Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try. …
“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well—for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”
Two questions to which I won’t presume to supply answers: Is this an indication of Thomas’s objectivity or President Obama’s extremity? If the latter, is it possible that the standard storyline about the partisan nature of oppressive behavior can be made to change?
Helen Thomas is the best part of the past press- she does her job to the same high standards regardless of the president, the political party, the ideology. You have named one of the old media that have created a trust with people. Your post about blogging and shield laws questioned the differences between Helen Thomas type reporting and blogging. I would trust a Helen Thomas’ sources and think shield laws should apply. I don’t know about Drudge, or Anchor Rising. I quess if blogs are accurate and conscientious in their reporting then they will earn some trust.