We have previously discussed the criticism of reporters, newspapers like the New York Times, and international groups that President Obama has run one of the most hostile Administrations in history to press freedom and public openness. Now that Democratic stalwart, the Washington Post, has joined in the chorus of critics, detailing the secretive, almost Nixonian culture of the Obama Administration in a new article.
The article by Paul Farhi, details the story of how the Obama Administration actively blocked the efforts of Palm Beach Post reporter Stacey Singer in her effort to confirm reports of a tuberculosis outbreak in the Jacksonville area.
The Post notes
“Singer’s experience is shared by virtually every journalist on the government beat, from the White House on down. They can recite tales with similar outlines: An agency spokesman — frequently a political appointee — rejects the reporter’s request for interviews, offers partial or nonresponsive replies, or delays responding at all until after the journalist’s deadline has passed.
Interview requests that are granted are closely monitored, reporters say, with a press “minder” sitting in. Some agencies require reporters to pose their questions by e-mail, a tactic that enables officials to carefully craft and vet their replies.
Tensions between reporters and public information officers — “hacks and flacks” in the vernacular — aren’t new, of course. Reporters have always wanted more information than government officials have been willing or able to give.
But journalists say the lid has grown tighter under the Obama administration, whose chief executive promised in 2009 to bring “an unprecedented level of openness” to the federal government.”
What is fascinating is that despite a record of investigating reporters, tapping their phones, and threatening them with jail (as well as a scorched Earth campaign against whistleblowers), many reporters remain largely muted in their criticism and privately support the Administration. It is a remarkable disconnect in the media. That has not changed even after last summer when 38 organizations representing journalists and press-freedom advocates accused the Administration of “politically driven suppression of news and information about federal agencies” and referred to the Obama Administration’s restrictions on media as “a form of censorship — an attempt to control what the public is allowed to see and hear.”
This month, the nonprofit Center for Effective Government gave eight of the 15 agencies a “D” for their compliance (or lack of compliance) with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The highest performing agency was the Department of Agriculture with a mediocre “B.” Two agencies received “F” grades: The Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services. The “D” group included two D minus grades for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Defense. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was among the D grades. What is really frightening is that having two failures and eight near failures with Ds was a slight improvement for the Administration. With only two years left, the Obama Administration has racked up one of the most closed and secretive records of any modern presidency.
Just for the purposes of historical record, President Obama ran on creating the most transparent Administration in history and then made this pledge in 2009 specifically referring to FOIA to the American people:
The conversation above is very relevant to researching every angle of the person’s life. who is running for office, that the voter can find before actually voting. WHAT WE HAVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE IS AKIN TO THE GREAT DECEIVER. Had the public read ‘O’s books thoroughly and realized that he was racist from the git-go, and that he really did not know this country as he really never lived here as a child, this life here began as a student surrounded by very liberal and radical friends, If each voter had been informed and took his right to vote as a privilege to live in such a great country, “O” would not be president. His opinions of this country were formulated by a mother who disliked America and his grandparents who were white and carried around the hate of the America they chose not to live in. .
The arrogance and hate was taught to “O” along with his image of America and is that of America in the 50’s….A half century… years ago! Years in which we Americans had since made many strides forward and progressed. Yet “O”s view of America is that of a person who lived 50 years ago in the Jim crowe era. Being the age I am, I have known that view of America and we Americans have moved on but “O” still functions as if this is the America of his Grandparents view and that this is the only country that ever owned slaves and ….in his eagerness to hold on to the past, he cannot see that America has progressed to the point of having a Black in the White House and in his eagerness for change, he has destroyed all the progress made in the last 50 years. We now face the lawlessness and racism he has instilled in his minions and the possibility of more destruction and protest under the guise of racism, plus his desire to render Congress invalid. His control of the IRS and secrecy and deceitfulness as he has shown along with his desire to Africanize America as he stated in his book “Dreams of My Father” has crippled this country greatly.
Now we face 30 thousand illegals loose on our streets who have SS#s and citizenship who will most likely be allowed to vote for our next president. They are Loose on our streets with no jobs available for them,, just more people to vote for the ones they are told to vote for. we have no border security in fact, we have no security at all and being christian is a liability today. Yes, “O” has really improved America!…………… More like set us up for Anarchy. Transparency indeed! One thing for sure, we will have a democrat as president until hell freezes over, unless a miracle happens, or the republicans and libertarians get busy and get some of the 30K to sign up to vote for anyone other than a democrat they are told to vote for. Anyway you approach it, WE AND THE WORLD HAVE BEEN CONVENIENTLY DECEIVED BY THE GREAT DECEIVER. ……………………………My opinion only!!
Jill, I agree with your words. I wonder though if you extend your thoughts to groups like the EPA gestapo or people right to practice their religion without the fear of the govt. coming down on them. Or, do you stop at only the things that you like. I used to be against legalizing pot but the more I become libertarian, the more I feel let the idiots get stoned. I understand gay marriage will happen, but I personally will refuse to recognize it. My only fear on that issue is the indoctrination of our youth and when they start forcing religions to perform such false ceremonies. The problem I see with liberty is you either go all the way with it, or you are just a different flavor of tyrant.
This nation is unrecognizable to me. I just rewatched “Control Room”. It was interesting because this film concerned the actions of the Bush administration. You could already see how spineless the press was. After all, Judy Miller was right on board with hyping the invasion of Iraq based on the lies of the Bush administration. The strange and horrifying thing was, the press was asking more questions back then than they do now. That hasn’t been so many years.
An informed citizenry is necessary to making a good society. When people do not realize what is going on, where the money is going, who is doing what to whom, a nation’s corporate govt. can do what it pleases, when it pleases.
We now have a president who acts like a dictator. We have Homan Square, a black site of torture, disappearance and even death of activists and other citizens. We have a president who makes law. He breaks the law at will. The press is tightly controlled. Our population is tracked and spied on in every way. We have armed drones flying the skies in the US. Many people have no idea that this is even happening because our newz is more propaganda than anything else.
Worse still are all those people who do know what is happening and either don’t care or actively support these actions because it’s Obama doing them. These citizens are acting shamefully. A dictator needs a willing and frightened populace to succeed. I believe we may be able to reach those who have been made terrified by this govt. but it appears impossible to reach those who stand and cheer as every person’s rights are stripped away under this president.
Between a fearful populace who is ill informed, a populace who is informed but doesn’t care, a Congress and courts system who moves in lock step with the destruction of the rule of law and a terrified or paid off press, we are in deep trouble in this nation. We must commit to the rule of law, to learning as much as we can and to the utter repudiation of partisanship. There is something far more important than love of one’s party and its “leader”. That thing is justice, We need justice and we will not have it unless we stand peacefully, in solidarity for it.
Our propaganda system is alive and well.
And sure Obama ran on the platform of transparency, but to claim we are a very democratic nation-state is a joke. One just has to look at his original campaign website to understand he didn’t have any principles (his messages on Israel).
Why would people at these agencies wish to reveal information? Generally, they have sweet gigs and are propped up by the system.
Ever heard of David Petraues? John Yoo? David Addington?
They are still treated like royalty in our discourse and society.
They are brilliant to you, but lethal to ordinary populations that don’t understand the system.
“This will be the most transparent administration in history!”
“Obamacare will save American families $2500 a year!”
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor!”
“If you like your insurance plan, you can keep your plan!”
“This was a demonstration gone wrong about a video!”
“I will keep the server private.”
“There is not even a smidgeon of corruption in the IRS!”
“No one at the White House edited the Benghazi talking points!”
“Obama was not referring to ISIS when he called them JV!”
“Fast and Furious was started under Bush with no changes!”
See a pattern here?
As long as the jaded public gives politicians in general, and specifically this Administration, a free pass, we will get more of the same. Why would they change? Hillary Clinton defied the law, and decided which of her emails at State the public would get, and which they would never see, and no one will do anything about it. There is supposed to be an exit interview, the employee hands an official a stack of her emails that she feels should be public record, and then says she’s keeping this other stack private. The official reviews both stacks and agrees or disagrees with her assessment. Then she signs a document stating she has turned everything over. But Hillary goes 2 years without handing anything over, and decides for herself what she will provide.
There are NO real consequences for lying to the American public.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/marc-thiessen-obamas-blizzard-of-lies/2014/10/13/7acc3d22-52e4-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html
“What is fascinating is that despite a record of investigating reporters, tapping their phones, and threatening them with jail (as well as a scorched Earth campaign against whistleblowers), many reporters remain largely muted in their criticism and privately support the Administration.”
Many people remain willfully blind when their own party engages in misconduct. When the media is populated with Liberal journalists, that creates a serious lack of truthful, unbiased reporting. We already have evidence that those same journalists were howling mad when Bush engaged in far milder tactics with the media.
It takes great courage to remove the political glasses and judge actions on their merits alone, as Professor Turley does on this very blog.
Party politics always end with… It’s never when my party captain does it.
Rakes and coals… Rakes and coals.
“almost Nixonian culture”? Even Nixon didn’t delete the tapes like Hillary Clinton wiped her server!
In Feb 2014….President Obama “quipped” during a visit to Monticello with the French president, “That’s the good thing about being president, I can do whatever I want.” ……and there you have it, folks……the Master Plan in full swing….
@NickS
Oh, it is easy to understand. After Obama slaps them around, he goes to a big fancy dinner with them, or takes them on Air Force One. And, he just has to let them hang around him and all his onederfulness. Plus, he is Black, and for self-loathing White people, they are in submissive bliss. But the real reason is that most MSM are really stupid and don’t have much intellectual capacity. They are filled up to the brim with the proper liberal attitude and talking points, so they simply don’t know how to act any differently.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
The very creepy sycophant, Harry Reid, calls whistleblowers, “Whiners.” Does anyone think he fell while working out? He was snockered!
The MSM is like an abused wife, loving Obama even though he slaps them around, kicks them while they’re pregnant, and ridicules them in front of others. As befuddling as why the abused wife remains loyal to an abusive husband, this dysfunctional WH/MSM relationship defies logic. When he leaves power, we will read the truth. And cultists will be shocked, but still protect their cult leader nonetheless.
The Mainstream Media has failed the American public by giving the White House a pass and by by allowing reporters to be partisan.
The MSM is paying a price – look at how much we have come to rely on unconventional sources such as this blog.
We pay the 4th Estate all the attention that they deserve.
Obama said when he was young that when he grew up – if he was the president then he would have the military to protect him and he could ‘do stuff’ — and always be protected……that was his plan (formulated with his mentor Frank Davis and a lot of help from his leftist anti-American friends like Bill Ayers, et al)…..and that is exactly what is happening today….
Whistle blowers, attacking journalist, abusing foil, TPP, no arrests on wall street, ‘drill baby drill’ on public lands etc. he has nothing on Nixon. He is a constitutional lawyer from Harvard. That is worse.
And why shouldn’t they lie and obstruct? It works! He was elected twice, he continues to have high approval. Does anybody care to guess Mr. O’s future income when he leaves office? Anybody think it will be less than a cool $10Mil/year? And the Secretary of Secrets Ms. C is the highest rated Demo in the wings to take over in 2017.
Why shouldn’t they Lie?
Could the press organizations use federal “color of law” statutes to go after censors? Under Citizens United they are “corporate persons” and the government is violating their 1st Amendment rights. (ex: Title 18 USC 241-245 and “pattern & practice” of corruption statutes).
‘almost Nixonian’ Wow, comparing Obama to Nixon, a Republican, now that hurts.
ACLU of Massachusetts:
“Sex and abuse scandals in federal law enforcement revealed this week show importance of government transparency”
https://www.privacysos.org/node/1702
“It’s been a very rough press week for federal entities tasked with keeping the American people safe. Here’s what a little bit of sunshine on secretive government agencies revealed this week alone:”
“Drug Enforcement Administration agents with Top Secret clearances had ‘sex parties’ with prostitutes hired by Colombian drug cartels, says inspector general report” …
“Report: U.S. Soldiers, Contractors Sexually Abused 54 Children in Colombia”…
“Air marshals say a party-hearty attitude prevails at the agency” …
Faced with a Department of Justice investigation into the men and women charged with protecting U.S. commercial flights from terrorism, former and current air marshals are coming forward to describe a “wheels-up, rings-off” culture rife with adultery, prostitution and other misconduct.
The tone, they say, was set at the top. Former air marshals who worked in the service’s Orlando, Florida, field office say managers directed subordinates to modify assignments for the bosses’ benefit. That included supervisors jumping on flights or bumping air marshals off missions so they could play golf in Scotland, travel to exotic locations or meet a lover.
…
“I was in high-level meetings where they said, ‘All these air marshals who rat on us are all insurgents. We’re going to fire them. The whistleblowers will be terminated,’ ” said Henry Preston, an air marshal and training instructor in Orlando who retired in 2013 after more than a decade with the service. “They called flying (air marshals) insurgents – the enemy – because they didn’t want their little country club exposed in any way.”
“Intelligence and military agencies are constantly seeking more money and power, yet cultivate cultures hostile to transparency and accountability. But transparency and accountability are critical in democratic government, not least when influential agencies are given huge amounts of money and power to spy on and interfere with people’s private lives—or in the US military’s case, to fight and kill in our names.
“Government transparency sounds boring, but without it we the people have no idea what our tax dollars pay for under the banner of the stars and stripes. The examples above demonstrate that we should never simply trust people in power to do the right thing, and leave them to their own devices. Without access to information about what intelligence and military agencies are doing with our money, we have no opportunity to hold them accountable for activities like these. In such an environment, abuses like those described in these news articles are inevitable.”
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The Doublespeak President