WH considering ending press briefings, and not allowing media on WH grounds

[EnglishPete]

From the incoming administration's perspective, this is a moronic thing for them to do. This reduces the press's dependency on them, which means that they will have a very hard time controlling the narrative. From my perspective as a partisan and newsreader, I want this to happen.

On the contrary I think its extremely smart of him. The liberal legacy media (e.g. NBC, CNN, NYT, WaPo etc) will always be hostile to Trump and his administration and there's really very little he can do about that. If they control the narrative then he's in trouble. Now until recently the liberal legacy media had a very strong oligopoly on news for the US public, there was nothing Republicans could do about that they just had to work with them the best they could to get on their good side. Trump will never be on their good side. They will use hospitality and 'front row seats' given to them in the White House to spin stories as tis recent article describes

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http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2017/01/16/media-covered-trump-without-listening-voters/

New technology and specifically the rise of social media has caused a decline in the old media oligopoly. Until now NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, NYT, WaPo and the LA Times have between them held the ability to 'control the narrative' almost absolutely. that is starting to slip away and what Trump needs to do is allow that process to accelerate. He needs to do everything he can to take away their prestige. He needs to make sure that what some people still call the mainstream media is no longer seen as THE mainstream and is instead seen as just another stream (albeit still a large one) with no special status or prestige over other media outlets.

Giving the major legacy media outlets front row seats and offices in the White House gives them just such prestige. It means that they are the ones seen asking the questions. In means that they have the prime real estate to receive briefings and leaks from WH officials. take that away from them and many of them will have less access than popular friendly bloggers and freelance journalists with connections to the administration. It means that they will be on the same level as those outlets and people will have one less reason to see them as being on a higher level than other outlets.

Only this way can Trump try to 'control the narrative' and kicking the Press Corps out of his new home is the vital first step.

[EnglishPete]

So the 49 schmucks who can occupy the current briefing room are bitching because Trump's people want to find a big enough room to hold double the number of schmucks, and that's reducing media access? 

Yeah, because they like to think they represent a journalistic 'elite'. If they have to sit around with a much bigger group of schmucks they'll be just another schmuck and not a special exclusive schmuck.

[EnglishPete]

So the 49 schmucks who can occupy the current briefing room are bitching because Trump's people want to find a big enough room to hold double the number of schmucks, and that's reducing media access?  

Yeah, because they like to think they represent a journalistic 'elite'. If they have to sit around with a much bigger group of schmucks they'll be just another schmuck and not a special exclusive schmuck.

The WHCA has bitched at Obama's Press Secretaries as much as any other President's.  They whine for the sake of whining.  

What they forget is, the President can toss the whole lot out of the White House.  There is no right to a press credential or a seat at the big boy's table.  He could have them cooling their heals at the Starbucks across the street and there's nothing they can legally do about it.

There's plenty they can legally do about it.  Just not in court.  Jesse Ventura turned the MN press against him because he hated them.  And they hated him back.  By the time Ventura decided not to run for reelection because he knew he was unpopular and would not win, Minnesotans didn't think too highly of him, and the press played no small part.

In fact it is Trump who can't legally do anything about the press.

Different time. Back then social media didn't exist. Few people got their news from the internet, everyone got their news from evening television and the newspapers. If politicians wanted to get their message across to the public they had to get past a few media gatekeepers and if those media gatekeepers were all against them then they had a big problem. Donald Trump could not have had the slightest change of being elected in those days.

Even if Trump were to try suck up to the legacy liberal media it would be a wasted effort. They have been consistently hostile to his campaign and his election and they will be consistently hostile to his Presidency. Fortunately their market share is slipping away along with their credibility. The White House need to do everything they can to accelerate that process. Helping prop up a section of the media that is particularly hostile to them by giving them privileged access would be a dumb move for them.

As Sean Spicer said the other day when asked about the move

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The White House are dealing with this in a smart way.

[EnglishPete]

If they can effect a "brain drain" of sorts from various right-wing outlets--such as the recent poaching of Megyn Kelly--they may have a chance as more pro-administration outlets are forced to turn to less well-known or audience-appreciated "talent".

Or maybe not

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[EnglishPete]

As Sean Spicer said the other day when asked about the move

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The White House are dealing with this in a smart way.

Excellent comment on this from American Thinker

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http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/01/media_elites_howling_as_trump_admin_considers_expanding_access_to_wh_briefings_beyond_49_elite_insider_journalists.html

[EnglishPete]

So the 49 schmucks who can occupy the current briefing room are bitching because Trump's people want to find a big enough room to hold double the number of schmucks, and that's reducing media access? 

And we have Democrat party hacks Media Matters confirming what all this upset is about. The liberal media in the White House is upset that they won't be an exclusive little club anymore

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https://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/01/17/trump-wants-flood-white-house-press-briefings-sycophants-and-propagandists/215030

In other words 'we're upset because the liberal establishment news is losing its cosy little oligopoly'.

[EnglishPete]

And now confirmation that far from abolishing White House Press correspondents the Trump White House will expand their number. Jim Hoft has confirmed that 'The Gateway Pundit' will have its own White House Press correspondent.

[EnglishPete]

So the 49 schmucks who can occupy the current briefing room are bitching because Trump's people want to find a big enough room to hold double the number of schmucks, and that's reducing media access? 

And we have Democrat party hacks Media Matters confirming what all this upset is about. The liberal media in the White House is upset that they won't be an exclusive little club anymore

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https://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/01/17/trump-wants-flood-white-house-press-briefings-sycophants-and-propagandists/215030

In other words 'we're upset because the liberal establishment news is losing its cosy little oligopoly'.

I don't agree at all with their ideology but Media Matters were spot on with their prediction. Yesterday at the White House Press Briefing Sean Spicer gave the first question to the New York Post and the second question to the Christian Broadcasting Network News. Today he gave his first question to Laura Ingraham's Lifezette and the second question to Breitbart.

[EnglishPete]

So when Spicer gets a tough question, he can dodge it and give the next question to 'The Gateway Pundit' or OANN or Breitbart or Sputnik. Nice.

Nope, he's done one better than that as you see in the above post. I have to say I approve, the liberal legacy media outlets have been getting not only the first questions but all the questions to themselves for far too long.

[EnglishPete]

Daily Caller also got a question today. Trump team really changing things at the Press Briefings.

[EnglishPete]

Good article on why this is such a great change

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http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/25/trump-white-houses-revolutionary-approach-to-the-media/

One big problem, from a conservative point of view, about the liberal dominated legacy media isn't that they asked critical questions but that all of those critical questions are querying government from a liberal perspective. Conservative politicians have accepted this for far too long. From an Overton window framing perspective that's terrible for conservative/right wing politicians. The right wing media have made clear they're willing to ask critical questions of the Trump adminstration but they're doing it from a conservative/right wing perpective.