Obama is "they're undercutting the First Amendment...it's state-run media"

[healthmyths]

MY MY... what Right Wing screaming MSM biased conservative said this???

Bill Plante, CBS News Senior White House Correspondent, made a rather shocking statement Sunday about the Obama administration's media strategy.

Appearing on CNN's Reliable Sources, Plante said that to the extent the White House is able to "put out their own material" without the Washington press corps, "they're undercutting the First Amendment...it's state-run media"

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: Bill Plante, you've been patrolling that building since Ronald Reagan.
Does the White House press look a little self-involved, a little whiny as I said earlier, complaining about this Tiger incident?

BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We've gotten used to being called whiny lapdogs.
I've heard it for 30 years. But this is not about a picture of Tiger Woods. This is about access to the president.
And access to the president has been cut and pushed and curtailed over every administration I've covered.

And here's the nub of it, Howie: this administration has the tools to reach people on their own.
They don't need us as much. And to the extent that they're able to do that, they're undercutting the First Amendment, which guarantees a free press through many voices.
If they put out their own material, it's state-run media.


Read more: CBS's Bill Plante: Obama Administration 'Undercutting First Amendment,' 'It's State-Run Media' | NewsBusters

So is the MSM (CBS,etc. _) now waking up to the DEPTH of the destruction of this country by Obama and his "state-run media"?

Are the MSM ready to understand that when 85% of them donating to Obama's election is now coming back to eat their lunch!

 

[g5000]

Press release =/= "state run media".

 

[healthmyths]

Press release =/= "state run media".

Hey I didn't say it.. Bill Plante with 30 years said it and I would be inclined to think this person has MORE expertise in his field then you have in his field.

 

[Oldguy]

So....does Plante think Facebook and Twitter, the internet and other forms of communication should be run by the White House press corps just so they can continue to serve as gate keepers of "the word?"

His complaint sorta shoots the right's obsession with the liberal "MSM" full of holes, doesn't it?

Let's face it: With the advent of the communication age, "news" outlets are rapidly becoming obsolete. Of course, the down side is that anybody can communicate ANYTHING and it's up to the consumer to verify it, weigh it and edit it. As we can see by the flood of half-truths and terribly spun "stories" about Obama right here on these boards, that's not typically being done.

Just as in the days of network TV, today's news consumers just take what they're handed without bothering to determine the facts for themselves. The only difference is in the sheer volume of "news" floating around out there.

 

[konradv]

Press release =/= "state run media".

Hey I didn't say it.. Bill Plante with 30 years said it and I would be inclined to think this person has MORE expertise in his field then you have in his field.

What field would that be? Spin doctor?

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

There’s no First Amendment ‘issue’ here, and Plante’s way off the mark – the press has full access to the WH, no information is being withheld, and there’s no evidence of prior restraint on the part of the government with regard to any information the press is seeking to report.

There’s nothing in the First Amendment or its case law that prohibits a given government entity from communicating directly with the people. There’s nothing in the First Amendment or its case law that says the press is the only conduit through which the government must communicate with the people.

If Plante or anyone else believes the WH is pursuing a policy that conflicts with the First Amendment, he’s free to file suit in Federal court. Until a court rules otherwise, however, the WH’s communication policy is perfectly Constitutional.