k wrote:

finethen wrote:

President Bush today again avoided taking a question from White House doyenne Helen Thomas during his 45-minute press conference, even though he took questions from every reporter around her front-row, center seat.

"He's a coward," Thomas said afterward. "He's supposed to be this macho guy. He'll take on Osama bin Laden, but he won't take me on."

Helen Thomas has really been screwed over by this administration and beleive me- the press corps has noticed. If someone as well-respected as Thomas can be treated this way, no one in the press is safe to ask tough questions.

I wish they'd grow some balls. Let the white house cut you loose. How long can they keep that up? How long before the entire thing becomes an obvious echo chamber because no one with critical views is allowed in the room. Journalists kowtowing to the president is just totally irresponsible.

Its the weakness of the whole system. Without access you lose you relavence as a reporter, and gaining access means necessarily playing by their rules. Isn't it weird, though, that clinton never thought of this as a way to shut up reporters about Monica-gate? It never ceases to amaze how Dems feel they have to, like, play by the rules.

RE: Speaking of Bush and press conferences...