Some time ago, I posted a comment on CNN having a hissy over the Trump administration making the daily briefing not for camera. They cried that it was a closing off of access for the public, and in a bit of theatrics hired a courtroom artist to come in and draw the briefing. Been there, done that.
Well, the dramatics on both sides have only escalated (though the briefing seems to be open for broadcast again), with now the spat playing out for our collective ... entertainment?
But my point here is Todd Purdum, who was apparently covering the White House right around the time I was, has finally articulated well the concerns I have been forming over the more recent efforts by the press, and CNN's Jim Acosta particularly, in confronting the administration.
Photo by Wilfredo Lee
But as a secondary note, let me add: Where were you guys?
Press aides in the Clinton administration regularly flat out lied to us, and often over ridiculously minor things. It was part of the back and forth, and we took it in stride without making it a challenge to democracy. I'm sure those who covered George W Bush have similar stories, and it takes little effort (even while avoiding alt-right conspiracy sites) to find questionable Obama actions and statements. Yet it lacked the melodrama we see today.
Is the Trump administration a leap beyond? Perhaps. Should journalists rigorously challenge authority and demand their questions be heard? Absolutely. But where were you guys all those years before someone so obvious showed up?
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