Scott McClellan: White House Press Briefing Is Obsolete

Asked by TNR to offer some advice to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, former Press Secretary Scott McClellan makes the provocative suggestion that the whole briefing ritual is passe:

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[BachelorJohnnyCool]

They can't get rid of the White House press briefings! What would Lester Kinsolving do every day without them?

[dissanayake]

Mecllens style of lying on the podium and covering up for the President and Vice, are surely obsolete.
Anyone that has watched Gibbs with the press, see's clearly,that there stands a man, that has the full confidence of the President.

[MyTake]

I agree, it is out dated. Why assemble reporters, have a person come out and SEARCH FOR ANSWERS while trying to respond to a question and then flush the internet and evening news with sound bytes?

Let's use the CNN technology to BEAM the reporter right into the oval office and pose their questions directly to the president and bypass this press secretary completely!

[senorlou]

Dump the position? Might not be a bad idea. It would be nice to have a President who spoke to reporters every single day they were working.

[dissanayake]

You think the President can spare, a few hours everyday,speaking to the press? Havent we had enoguh of sound bites and speech, Let's have some governing.

[Durango]

He ought to know.

These high paid media "stars" are sitting around the basement of the White House waiting to be hand delivered the "news" instead of getting out in the real world to report on real events

They need to get real jobs as reporters. And real lives.

The President of the United States is not a monarch. His every move and every utterance does not need to be reported on.

Every days newscast does not have to include something from the President or the WH. There arte 2 other branches of government. (when was the last time you heard a news broadcast about YOUR Congressman?)

The media no longer has a clue what"news" is. Wouldn't know it if it bit them in the behind.

But I will give them a hint. You will not find it sitting around the basement of the White House.

No matter how well paid you might be.

[senorlou]

I'm guessing that you know a lot about journalism, because you were or are a real journalist, right? We needed to know what Bush was doing at all times, and the media let us down, but there was some great reporting. All of his crimes have been documented. So, Obama is allowing the media in on the business of the people, and you're acting as if it's a bad thing?

[Durango]

With the obvious exception of Helen Thomas, who couldn't even get to her questions asked, I did not see any great reporting coming from the White House Press Corps.

I didn't even see adequate reporting. All I saw was complete unmitigated failure.

Reporters need to get out of the basement of the White House.

And as much as I admire President Obama this emphasis on the President, any President is ridiculous.

He should be first among equals. Not a monarch.

[ozwald888]

Little scotty NEVER gave a real briefing during his entire White House career. Nope, all he did was deliver the last pResident's lie of the day.

I read scotty's book, I found it to be a mea-culpa from a man who was paid to lie to the AMerican People and who did so, with no compunction....

That is, until he was replaced. At that time he decided he was wrong.

After the fact doesn't allow this nation to GIVE BACK the lives and treasure wasted by his advancement of bush's lies about Iraq.

True?

[MsAttitude]

How many times can Gibbs say, "I'm not going to answer that."?

[springsm]

As many times as he needs. If he gets the answer and then can tell them, he will be eons ahead of the past three or four who lied or challenged or made up the answer. However, the press corp are not really the PRESS corp..they are prima donas that want their own media outlet to notice them. National Enquirer might be a better place for them.

[breathestolive]

Interesting, when the Bush administration spent millions of taxpayer dollars to renovate and rebuild the Press Corps offices.

Ye gods.

[One more Thing]

I think the space occupied by the press corps should be made into a running and exercise pit for the new White House dog.

Let the press corps go out and bird dog it!

[springsm]

Now that latter part of your statement is right on.

[zephyr1964]

Scott is right. I occasionally watched WH briefings over the years and wondered why they followed this model. Coming from the Corporate world, I thought this time could be better used to bring in Cabinet members, as Scott suggests, to inform the public and the press. I believe many people who oppose some of the President's goals do so because they are ill informed on the subject. Using this forum to educate us would make it an excellent "bully pulpit".

[MBryant]

Part of the fault is from Scott and his fellows. They have no shame dodging or lying about the "tough questions" so much that the press has stopped asking them. There has always been fellowship around the White House Press Club-house but now that there are no sharp elbows being thrown it is all one big fan-boy club.

Sadly, the White House briefings are among the things that pass for "hard news" from the TV and cable news departments who are in the era of read blogs, make cool graphics, get your hair done and talk about it for thirty minutes...

[blurredtruth]

He is correct. When the press is not independent but blindly supporting the President, why bother holding a briefing? Cheer leading has no place with integrity. If the press ever wakes up from being fawning sycophants than the daily press conference would mean something.

[MargaretO]

blurredtruth - the screen name is appropo. What they were doing with BushCo was blindly supporting. That's how he got us into this mess. You're just jealous that more people want to hear from the WH, these days.

[senorlou]

Scott had a hard job, telling lies every day in front of the eyes of the world. He doesn't realize that the job wouldn't be nearly as hard to do if he had been telling the truth.

[jnratliff]

I wonder why Scott?
Could it be that the republicans used the one thing they all have in common to end the press conference?
They used the greed that prevails through out the republican party to destroy all party of our country!
What is it that they used?
Greed!
The greed of republicans make them willing to do or say anything as long as they are getting paid fine they will say whatever you want!
But as you can see with scott and is true of all criminals. When the money you paid them starts to run out they will change what they are saying. Why? for the money!
It's just like being black mailed, when you can't pay any more they will then use what they were black mailing you with! Just like scott has done.
All of the republican party are criminals!

[sarojin]

McClellan's right. Now days the poodle press just laps up anything obama's handlers hand out and if anyone gets too frisky they get hit with a rolled up newspaper.

[thatsitfortheother1]

I d i o t. You, not him.

[senorlou]

Newsflash: Not all Presidential administrations are as criminal as the previous one was.

[iswideopen]

I like Robert Gibbs and watch every breifing. McClellan, it's ok, we're doing just fine.