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Obama's Oval Speech Layups to Game 6

June 15, 2010 By WHC Insider

Whether it’s happenstance or kismet that President Obama chose to speak an hour before Game 6 of the NBA Finals  for his first Oval Office speech on the Gulf oil spill remains to be seen. The president’s confidence in the Lake-show may falter tonight, but his message for BP and the coast likely won’t.

The New York Times makes the case that comparing the oil spill to the economy may not be far off, “Now the president must strike the same sort of balance in talking to the nation about the oil spill. And he has chosen to do so from the familiar office that Americans since the dawn of the television age have come to associate with big moments — for them, and for presidents.”
[Read more…]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Barack Obama, Robert Gibbs, White House correspondents, White House Speeches

ABC Reporter Suggests Televised WH Briefings may be Bad for Journalism

May 4, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

Jake Tapper and Julie Mason talk about the daily WH press briefing from whcinsider on Vimeo.

In part 3 of our interview with The Examiner’s Julie Mason and ABC News’ Jake Tapper – a former print reporter for Salon.com – tell WHCInsider that televising the White House briefing may be bad for journalism.

“An argument can be made while televising the briefing, while wonderful in the interest of transparency, actually hurts the interest of journalism being committed,” said Tapper. “It becomes a show,” added Mason. “And often time’s reporters are judged on the questions they ask during the briefing, when it’s such a tiny part of what we do. It sort of becomes counterproductive.”

Most of the White House correspondents’ work is done outside the regular press briefings … and both Tapper and Mason joked that they had “occasionally fettered access” outside the scheduled briefings.

Go behind the scenes at the White House briefing room here.

Filed Under: Correspondents, Media Strategy, White House Staff Tagged With: ABC New, Jake Tapper, Julie Mason, Salon.com, The Examiner, White House Briefing Room, White House correspondents

Access: Obama White House v. Bush — No Diff

May 4, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

In Part 2 of our interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper and The Examiner’s Julie Mason, the White House correspondents tell WHCInsider that the Obama administration’s Briefing Room is not much different than when President Bush was in office.

It’s a “different vibe,” said Mason, “but in terms of the access we get and the information, it’s very much the same.” Tapper said the Obama White House is an improvement over the Obama campaign – staffers can’t “dodge” reporters so easily: “[They’re] much more accessible here, because they’re right here as opposed to on the phone.”

Does that mean Ana Marie Cox got it wrong, when she said White House correspondents are not necessary?

“Has Ana Marie Cox ever covered the White House,” asked Mason. “I’m not sure what her credentials are … she was there for the dog story.”

“Having a vigilant press corps in that room is definitely necessary,” Tapper added diplomatically. “I didn’t find her piece particularly persuasive.”

Filed Under: Correspondents, White House Staff Tagged With: Ana Marie Cox, Bush, Jake Tapper, Julie Mason, Obama, White House correspondents

New White House Correspondent Chuck Todd Says Ana Marie Cox is Wrong About Getting Rid of White House Correspondents

April 30, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

NBC WH Correspondent Chuck Todd

NBC WH Correspondent Chuck Todd

Elections usher in more than a new White House resident. It’s a time when the networks tap their new White House correspondent. For NBC, the highly regarded political analyst and editor Chuck Todd now occupies the NBC seat in the White House Briefing Room. While less than a mile away from his old perch at the Watergate as editor in chief of the Hotline, a back room backbencher of much political importance.   WHCInsider talked with Todd about his much more public role.  (He received an expensive old-fashioned shaving kit from a viewer when he won the NBC White House chair).   Todd won’t comment on rumors he will be getting his own interview show on MSNBC, but he proudly shares anecdotes of 5-year-old Margaret and 2-year-old Harrison.

Chuck Todd

Chuck Todd

Q. What surprised you most about being a White House Correspondent?

A. The lack of physical access inside the White House.  The high irony is we connect the two buildings, the White House to the West Wing.  The folks in the white house get to decide where you sit, where you go. It is not new to this White House, it’s a every modern White House that’s controlling.

Q. Compare Obama campaign access vs. The White House?
A. The White House is more open and transparent than the campaign but only because you cannot run the White House in a tight circle of just five people.

Q. How about your transition into this reporter role?
A.  I had a lot of real frustration.  I don’t think Ana Maria Cox got it right about getting rid of the White House Correspondents.  We still have a real value, but you have a lot of the good reporting outside the White House.  It is easier to report from outside the White House. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Media Strategy Tagged With: Ana Marie Cox, Chuck Todd, White House correspondents

White House Correspondents Challenge Press Secretary on what Obama Meant on CIA Interrogations

April 21, 2009 By WHC Insider

Remarks Suggest President is Open to an Investigation

April 21 — Press secretary Robert Gibbs faced persistent questioning from the White House press corps, which focused primarily on whether President Obama is now open to possibly holding former Bush administration officials — including the former president — accountable for CIA interrogation methods of suspected terrorists.

In response to reporters after his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah earlier in the day, Obama said, “If and when there needs to be a further accounting of what took place during this period, I think for Congress to examine ways that it can be done in a bipartisan fashion, outside of the typical hearing process that can sometimes break down and break it entirely along party lines, to the extent that there are independent participants who are above reproach and have credibility, that would probably be a more sensible approach to take.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ABC, Bush administration, CBS, Chip Reid, Chuck Todd, Jake Tapper, Jordan, King Abdullah, NBC, Robert Gibbs, White House correspondents

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About White House Correspondents Insider

Exploring “behind the scenes” of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

We track the White House Correspondents’ weekend and all the activities around it, from journalists and media companies to the White House and politicos.

Tammy Haddad is Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of WHC Insider and CEO of Haddad Media.

White House Correspondents Insider is not affiliated with or approved by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is a registered trademark of the WHCA.

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We're still reminiscing about the 2022 White House Correspondents' #GardenBrunch. Thank you, John McCarthy, Elizabeth Milias, Liz Johnson, and the UK's embassy's Senay Bulbul for joining us in supporting the media and our military veterans!
Thank you, Susan Wojcicki, Alexandra Veitch and Craig Newmark for your support of the 2022 White House Correspondents' #GardenBrunch!
Karine Jean-Pierre will replace outgoing Jen Psaki as #WhiteHouse Press Secretary on May 13, President Biden announces. Seen here at the @paramountco #WHCD #paramountafterparty
Members of the media and the administration came together to shine a light on the work of journalists and our military veterans at the 2022 White House Correspondents’ #GardenBrunch. Thank you, @tonydokoupil @jenrpsaki and @gayleking for your support! #WHCD2022 #WHCD #WHCA
We’re so grateful to the FLEX Association for their support of the 2022 #GardenBrunch. #WHCD2022 #WHCD #WHCA
Thank you to #AngelaDalton and #PeterMauric of the @web3foundation (pictured here with Alexander Vindman and daughter) for your support of the 2022 #GardenBrunch.

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