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‘Obama Is a Master at Limiting, Shaping and Manipulating Media Coverage’: The 10 Most Scathing Remarks From Politico’s Anti-Obama Media Column

Feb. 19, 2013 7:58am Jonathon M. Seidl

Politico article criticizes Obamas relationship with the press

CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 15: President Barack Obama speaks to students and guests during a visit to Hyde Park Academy High School on February 15, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images

“President Barack Obama is a master at limiting, shaping and manipulating media coverage of himself and his White House.”

If anyone asked you where those remarks came from, you’d likely say it was some conservative news outlet or blog. You might even say it was the rant of a Republican pundit.

But you would be wrong on all levels.

That quote is actually the opening line to a scathing, four-page column by Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen on Politico.

“Not for the reason that conservatives suspect: namely, that a liberal press willingly and eagerly allows itself to get manipulated,” the column continues, offering a defense for the press and placing full blame on the White House. “Instead, the mastery mostly flows from a White House that has taken old tricks for shaping coverage (staged leaks, friendly interviews) and put them on steroids using new ones (social media, content creation, precision targeting). And it’s an equal opportunity strategy: Media across the ideological spectrum are left scrambling for access.”

Still, in the accompanying video version of the story, Vandehei admits that while the critique of Obama being a “puppet master” who pulls strings to get favorable coverage is generally a conservative critique, it is an “accurate one”:

The anger from the press came to a head this past weekend when the press corps wasn’t allowed full access to the president’s golf vacation (read our original story here).”That breached the tradition of the pool ‘holding’ in the clubhouse and often covering — and even questioning — the president on the first and last holes,” Politico explains.

The Politico article is filled with plenty of shots at the president and administration that vowed to be the most transparent. So we’ve included 10 of the most scathing sections that capture just how icy the press relationship has become.

10. President Barack Obama is a master at limiting, shaping and manipulating media coverage of himself and his White House.

9. “The White House gets away with stuff I would never have dreamed of doing. When I talk to White House reporters now, they say it’s really tough to do business with people who don’t see the need to be cooperative.” — Former Bill Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry

8. The president has shut down interviews with many of the White House reporters who know the most and ask the toughest questions. Instead, he spends way more time talking directly to voters via friendly shows and media personalities. Why bother with The New York Times beat reporter when Obama can go on “The View”?

7. Obama boasted Thursday during a Google+ Hangout from the White House: “This is the most transparent administration in history.” The people who cover him day to day see it very differently.

6. “The way the president’s availability to the press has shrunk in the last two years is a disgrace,” said ABC News White House reporter Ann Compton, who has covered every president back to Gerald R. Ford. “The president’s day-to-day policy development — on immigration, on guns — is almost totally opaque to the reporters trying to do a responsible job of covering it. There are no readouts from big meetings he has with people from the outside, and many of them aren’t even on his schedule. This is different from every president I covered. This White House goes to extreme lengths to keep the press away.” [Emphasis added]

5. But something is different with this White House. Obama’s aides are better at using technology and exploiting the president’s “brand.” They are more disciplined about cracking down on staff that leak, or reporters who write things they don’t like. And they are obsessed with taking advantage of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and every other social media forums, not just for campaigns, but governing.

4. Conservatives assume a cozy relationship between this White House and the reporters who cover it. Wrong. Many reporters find Obama himself strangely fearful of talking with them and often aloof and cocky when he does. They find his staff needlessly stingy with information and thin-skinned about any tough coverage. He gets more-favorable-than-not coverage because many staffers are fearful of talking to reporters, even anonymously, and some reporters inevitably worry access or the chance of a presidential interview will decrease if they get in the face of this White House. [Emphasis added]

3. *The super-safe, softball interview is an Obama specialty. The kid glove interview of Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by Steve Kroft of CBS’s “60 Minutes” is simply the latest in a long line of these. Obama gives frequent interviews (an astonishing 674 in his first term, compared with 217 for President George W. Bush), but they are often with network anchors or local TV stations, and rarely with the reporters who cover the White House day to day.

2. * There’s the classic weekend document dump to avoid negative coverage. By our count, the White House has done this nearly two dozen times, and almost always to minimize attention to embarrassing or messy facts. “What you guys call a document dump, we call transparency,” the White House’s Earnest shot back. If that’s the case, the White House was exceptionally transparent during the Solyndra controversy, releasing details three times on a Friday.

1. * While White House officials deny it is intentional, this administration —like its predecessors — does some good old-fashioned bullying of reporters: making clear there will be no interviews, or even questions at press conferences, if aides are displeased with their coverage.

–

A separate video attached to the piece puts together some of Obama’s “softball” interviews:

The entire article is a must-read and can be seen here.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (226)

rosegrower
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30am
“The anger from the press came to a head this past weekend when the press corps wasn’t allowed full access to the president’s golf vacation” So typical of the useful idiots on the left – Obama was a wunderkind, until his actions affected THEM negatively. Now, he’s everything that conservatives KNEW he was. Won’t those people be doubly-surprised when Obamacare kicks in fully and their taxes go up, their coverage goes down and the one that has a sexually-transmitted disease gets put to the back of the line for treatment by one of the government gatekeeper panels.

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bumfuzeled
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30am
Now a lame duck president, he will need the press less and less. Should be fun to watch their anger grow as their “friend” turns foe.

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Gargent_Furball
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30am
what amazes me is , how people an sit around and talk bullishness fesses about bullishness fesses ,

on and on and on. I swear , the First Liar doesn’t have a chance.

The Lord of America should be put up for treason.

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loveoursoldiers
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30am
I think they forgot to mention he is the biggest liar.. ever. That is the ‘why’ . Everything is a lie.. so HE can’t say it. Who cares if Rice/Carney/Hillary/Brennan/Akelrod/Plouffe/Big Sis, etc. lie.. they cannot pin it on him
His game is never to get caught.. never to get blamed.. and he does it through others via lies, fear, promise of money or access.

There are many levels of deception of which he is a master . I believe he manipulates all of the above minions with lies so they think they are saying the right thing for the right reason.. usually “for the American people”
Interesting the staffers are in FEAR of saying anything. That is Valerie Jarrett who keeps them quiet.. but of course she does it for him.. and so he is still blamelss.
I don’t think his minions see they are helping him destroy our country.
There have to be some who know his real intentions.. but not any who are non-Muslim.
It seems hard to penetrate because of the power of the office. He uses tis power to keepeveryone in check.
Now it seems some realize something is wrong. But they are afraid to go there and/or the just can’t believe their messiah. the one they had all the hope for.. the one they voted for..is a fraud or worse. And they believe they would be racist is they oppose him.
WE have no trouble seeing it because we never bought it. This is why he needs to demonize/? eliminate us.. we know who he is
He is the master of deceit.. and there is only one character his equal..anti-_

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Rillobymorning
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:25am
If the MSM would at least be truthful, even if leaning toward the left was obvious, they would at the very least be credible, but they hide, dismiss anything and everything which reflects negatively on their anointed one and therefore have lost an amazing amount of their viewers. I, for one, would never listen to any news show on ABC, NBC or CBS and certainly not the really over the bring goofy ones like MSNBC. If I ever had to listen to 3 minutes of Chris Matthews or Rachel Murdock, I’m sure I’d lose my dinner.

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FedupinFlorida2
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:21am
Now they’re concerned, what no pictures with tiger. What LiLo or one of the Kardashinis not available. Don’t cover anything important I hear Kate is showing a baby bump.

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blue_rain
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:20am
The working of Communism at its best under the name of Liberal and Democrat. They are our media Police manipulators, our Food police, Our Gun police, Our soon to be deteriorating health care Police, our Police of mismanagement of our tax dollars, Our voter fraud police, The strong arm of govt. is choking the life force out of the American way. This is what you get when you are blinded by a Community Organizer and you cast your vote because you thought you were going to get something for free. Nothing is free, trust me govt. doesn’t love us that much. We are becoming a nation of dumb down nitwits.

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pookieamos
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:19am
Blaze , where’s my post ?

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pookieamos
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:15am
Obama is the master : the master of all that is evil , the master of deceit , the master at destruction and at times I wonder the master of HE66 ? I feel no sorrow for the contemptible media who protected and sheltered this piece of Kenyan dunge from damaging scandals would have have led to IMPEACHMENT of a Republican president ! BTW , looks like European gas prices are well on their way , I truly feel sorry for the average Joe , who is no doubt hurting over gas prices ! Gas has shot up 70 CENTS PER GALLON since Jan13 , here where I live . 70 CENTS !

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- txs_sxs
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 3:58pm
  Agreed. And the MSM is strangely silent about the gas prices. Here in Northern California, they have increased about the same 70 cents. Beck mentioned gas prices in California over $5 per gallon. Where I am, they are hovering around $3.90 – sure to go over $4 by the weekend.
  
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ICSPADES
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:05am
The media has toyed with this monster and now he will eat and destroy them if they act up. The only way to stop a monster is with a dagger. The dagger will be asking, reporting and revealing all information on the narcissistic monster. He cannot succeed without the admiring media following he has acquired. Bury him in controversy before it is to late

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- barber2
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:20am
  ICS: Agree. If the media actually reported and investigated ( Benghazi especially ) what goes on in the Obama White House, these guys would be out of the White House faster than Nixon ( but Nixon was a Republican so we know the likelihood of the Left- biased press ever turning on Obama and his gazillion Soros funded Far Left media arms )
  
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RightThinking1
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:03am
“Not for the reason that conservatives suspect: namely, that a liberal press willingly and eagerly allows itself to get manipulated,”

I certainly agree with that. They are not ‘manipulated’ at all. They are Fellow Travelers, they are enablers.

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Bamagal0007
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:57am
Give me a freakin’ break politico…Maybe if the “press” has done their jobs and actually covered this administration like they should, you wouldn’t have your feelings hurt for not being invited to the golf outing. You both sound like little whiney little lap dogs who cannot wait to get back in the good graces of this POS POTUS.

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argonautS166
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:54am
And he waits until after the election to write something like this? He would seem to be in the “bag” also.

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Cashpipe
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:46am
Falling out of the top 10 of Lame Reasons Why We(the press) Can’t Do Our Jobs is #11: Mitt Romney prevented us from asking any questions. It has absolutely nothing to do with the press selling out the American people for a fatter paycheck for themselves.

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Luvs2golf
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:40am
It doesn’t bother me one bit not to read anything about him. It’s all lies anyway. The next and only thing I’d like to read about is when the Supreme Court decides that, yes indeed, he is a fraud, illegal alien and a liar and gives him 72 hours to move out of the White House, taking only what actually belongs to them. Then he and his family must be deported including his relatives living here (illegally). I can hardly wait until the Supreme Court ‘speaks out on this’. If they are doing their job and following the rules, then it MUST HAPPEN. Hopefully they will insist that they repay the US for all of the taxpayer money they spent on vacations and such. (I guess I’ll have to ‘dream on’ on that one, lol.)

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Inform
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:31am
The president has shut down interviews with many of the White House reporters who know the most and ask the toughest questions. Instead, he spends way more time talking directly to voters via friendly shows and media personalities. Why bother with The New York Times beat reporter when Obama can go on “The View”?
=============
The problem is that the voters watch these lame shows and buy into the BS that he is the most transparent president in history. The shows never ask any tough questions of course.

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- barber2
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:56am
  INFORM: Yes. The Obama people know the importance of ” advertising :” using cute gimmicks and buzz words..often repeated to make people believe them true in the repetition ! ” Most transparent ” while they hide his school records and he claims to write an autobiography ( supposed to be non-fiction ) with ” composite ” girl friends ! The Obama mystique : where Madison Avenue meets Karl Marx – a deadly ( for successful American capitalism ) combination…especially for a poorly educated but easily manipulated base of voters…
  
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Exidor
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:30am
He’s just a punk from Chicago. Nothing more.

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garbagecanlogic
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:29am
That’s why it is called the “state run media”!

Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.

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Inform
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:28am
He doesn’t even have to be. He already has the CNN/MSDNC groupies ready to blow him at the drop of a hat.

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Yaya2
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:26am
Obama has used the msm since day one and they blindly followed along and believed every word that came out of his mouth. It would be so refreshing to have an honest, unbiased report of him and his administration yet I fear they are in lock-step with him. By the way, someone needs to inform Obama that cargo shorts are frowned upon as golf attire at most private clubs.

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marybethelizabeth
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:25am
This story is proof Glenn Beck and all the other radio talk show hosts are lying to you when they repeat the Republican talking point that the major news outlets are biased in their reporting.

Theblaze is filled every day with stories found in the major news outlets and is an alternative news source in the same way that the comics page is an alternative news source.

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- Bamagal0007
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:00am
  What a stupid statement…you should be very aware if the bias by now, take off your blinders fool.
  
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GuruMeditation
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:20am
I don’t watch softball.

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satotbs
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:13am
This president is nothing more than a paid actor. He has ever been any good at anything other than speaking from a prepared script. He is now a pampered child. Think about how most coddled children act when they are suddenly thrust into the limelight. The parties, the vacations, the schmoosing with like minded or leg hugging wannabes. The “I am much better than you attitude. Play golf, then basketball, and then bowl. He works so hard at avoiding governing or taking direct responsibility for anything. Then he’s off on the never ending campaign. He uses his acting skills, and phony affectations of stuttering or accents to develop a contrived empathy with his audience. They soak him up as they do the “Kardashians” He basks in the adoration of the useful idiots that voted for a black man to salve their preprogrammed guilt. They knew about him other than he’s visually appealing and speaks to their longing for utopia.
This has all been leading up to the final solution, “New world order”. First the first black president, next the first woman president. This is a choreographed play we are forced to watch. You know the ending is bad but you can’t leave and there are no refunds.

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- barber2
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:47am
  Bingo ! Well said. Obama should get an Oscar for his ” performance” in fooling his shallow, low information / media crazed base….the ” I Get My News From the Comedy Channel ” set….
  
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- GO-FOR-LIBERTY
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 11:08am
  You forgot the many, many, many vacations.
  
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GETLIFE
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:11am
Just more drivel– this time with waah waahs and boo hoo hoos– from a whining, irresponsible, gutless press. These arguments only work if one accepts their premise that anything worth reporting must come straight from the mouth(s) of this administration. No, actually that is not even true. The WH press is just one tentacle of the rest of the press which actively represses, erases, or ridicules any criticism or real analysis of what the WH is doing.

They are stupidly corrupt enough to play the WH’s game. Well hey, they are only now figuring out that they LET their King make all the rules? Completely predictable. No pity from me.

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KennyDee
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:10am
I fear it’s too late. The media has brainwashed the simple minded fools that have bought in to the cult of personality that was ingeniously created around what is still a very mysterious man we still really know little about (Obama).

A large portion of the American people has been lulled into ignorance through destruction of our morals and media over saturation. We as a nation can’t pull our noses out of the butt-crack of our smart phone long enough to “smell what’s cooking”.

The only thing that will save us is calamity. Things will have to at least appear to get so bad in the next 18 months that the American people will create another 2010 and slap the progressive hand back out of the cookie jar in 2014. If democrats regain control of the house and retain the senate it will take a half-century to recover from the damage they will do. Increased economic hardship and the collapse of Obamacare is the best thing that could happen to us at this point…and we are headed that way. The American people will not pull their head out of their arse without major pain to drive the awakening.

Don’t get me wrong. I hate both major political parties, but they are what we have to work with in the near term. The best thing they can give us is gridlock in Washington which is exactly the way the Founders set up our system of government…to protect us against sudden massive sweeping power shifts lurching us back and forth which of course equals chaos that a nation can never

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- KennyDee
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:14am
  recover
  
  (Funny how the Blaze comment system tells you that you have X amount of characters remaining then still cuts your comment short. Typical of life these days, no-one is tending to the details)
  
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