On C-Span’s “Washington Journal” this morning, CBS’s White House Correspondent Chip Reid said he didn’t get advance word that he might be called on at Pres. Obama’s news conference last night (he was).
But Reid was made aware before Pres. Obama’s last prime time news conference. The clip is below has suddenly become unembeddable. But here’s how it went:
C-Span Host: “Did you know in advance that you were going to be asking a question?”
Chip Reid: “No. The last prime time press conference I did get an email saying, ‘here’s…you’re on the list of people who may get a question if we have time.’ This time there was nothing, which I think is more appropriate. We don’t need any advance notice, and I don’t think we should get any.”
It’s working again (non-unembeddable):
Meanwhile, Howard Kurtz writes about the fact that Pres. Obama left out big, old media:
President Obama declined to call on any reporters from the nation’s top newspapers during last night’s news conference but still faced far more aggressive questioning than in his first prime-time encounter with the media.
Is Kurtz implying that TV journalists don’t ask tough questions?
Anyway. He surmises, “Obama can hardly be accused of bypassing traditional news organizations. He has granted interviews to the network anchors, the New York Times, the Washington Post editorial board, groups of columnists and regional reporters, and black and Hispanic journalists. On Friday, he spent 90 minutes with Steve Kroft of ’60 Minutes.'”