~ White House Controlling What We Hear and How We Hear It — And Doing It In Plain Sight

(Thanks for reading.  For my related post on the Helen Thomas comments to Press Secretary Gibbs on 7/1, click here -
Obama White House: Controlling the Media, Mind-Controlling the Masses.)

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June 23, at President Obam’s first daytime news conference:

After the obligatory first question from the Associated Press, Obama treated the overflowing White House briefing room to a surprise.  “I know Nico Pitney is here from the Huffington Post,” he announced…

Reporters looked at one another in amazement at the stagecraft they were witnessing.  White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel grinned at the surprised TV correspondents in the first row.

The use of planted questioners is a no-no at presidential news conferences, because it sends a message to the world — Iran included — that the American press isn’t as free as advertised. 

– Dana Milbank, Washington Post, Stay Tuned for More of ‘The Obama Show’

“The American press isn’t as free as advertised.”  Well said, Dana, though that is still an understatement.  But it does represent a message that the American people need to hear, and one that needs to sink in.  You are being told what to think, and when and how to think it, every time your President stands up to speak. 

Under the guise of crisis management, previous administration screw-ups and critical change — which you gave your permission for at election time, by the way – you are being told things you’ve never heard before, things that have nothing to do with America as we know it.  And you are being told that if you don’t allow the Captain of Hope and Change to bring about all the sweeping changes required to bring salvation to America, all hell will surely break loose and America will cease to exist. 

You are being manipulated, a little bit more every day.

It’s not even a secret anymore that President Obama and the White House are taking full advantage of the mainstream media’s willingness to be used.  I don’t fault the media entirely–its job is to go where the stories are, to write about the stuff that sells papers, gets viewers or prompts readers to click.  The Administration of Hope and Change and the Obama family are still hot news, even if it’s mostly in the tabloid, celebrity-gossip sense.

What concerns me more is that the executive branch of the government — or all three branches for that matter, but the White House in particular — should know that they have no business manipulating the information coming through networks and cable news stations, with the intent of pushing its agenda onto the American people.  The word for this is propaganda, and it’s meaning is not arbitrary or up for debate. 

Propaganda is the government’s use of the mass media to propagate and promote its ideology, policies and purposes.

I know, it’s a fine line — every administration carefully filters what’s shared or leaked to the press by White House spokesmen or Press Secretaries.  But the Obama administration is pushing the envelope – staging question and answer sessions, both by making provision for certain questions to be asked a certain way, and by filtering the topics that will be talked about — and conversely, those that will not be talked about.  I don’t believe I’ve seen an Obama press conference yet where all of the questioners have not been predetermined by the White House, and pulled one after another from a list in Obama’s hands (“Uh, where’s Chip Reed? Uh, Univision — is Lourdes here?” and yesterday, “I know Nico Pitney is here from the Huffington Post.  Do you have a question?”")

How disingenuous — of course he has a question!  YOU invited him to the presser, escorted him into the White House, issued him a temporary press pass and, for all practical purposes, gave him the question!   Yes, Mr. President, he has a question – the one you wanted him to ask.

It really is “The Obama Show.”  From the same article:

Later, Obama passed over the usual suspects to call on Macarena Vidal of the Spanish-language EFE news agency.  The White House called Vidal in advance to see whether she was coming and arranged for her to sit in a seat usually assigned to a financial trade publication.  [emphasis added]

Manipulation.

Naturally, the goal is no surprises – the White House wants to avoid the unexpected.  They know Obama is at his worst when fielding a question he’s not prepared for, and his responses get pretty contrived to say the least.  He tends to scramble for some remotely related topic and take a ride on (what he perceives as) some clever and eloquent tangent.  This tactic (he believes) skillfully obfuscates the original question and sufficiently impresses the Obama-worshippers. 

Of course, this trick, too, is part of the manipulation.  Say nothing of substance, but sound really good saying it. 

Tonight, more manipulation: 

Missed yesterday’s show?  Don’t worry:  On Wednesday, ABC News will be broadcasting “Good Morning America” from the South Lawn (guest stars: the president and first lady), “World News Tonight” from the Blue Room, and a prime-time feature with Obama from the East Room.

And plenty more manipulation to come, for as long as the American people will swallow it.

– RB Stratford

Related Posts:

Hot Air:  Obamateurism of the Day
Blue on blue: Helen Thomas hammers Gibbs on Obama’s phony town hall
Helen Thomas goes nuclear on White House again: “What the hell do they think we are, puppets?”

Michelle Malkin:  Obama hand-holds Huffington Post blogger, snaps at dissident reporters

Red State:  The Obama news conference – desperate to control coverage Obama plants questions
Obama Asks Questions That Have Very Obvious Answers
Washington Post Whores Itself to High Bidders
Press finally calls Obama out on attempts to control press

Ace of Spades HQ:  Politico Beclowns Itself… Claims, of Its Own Authority, That Obama Did Not Know Questions Which His Staffers Chose for Him

Quick Daily Hits:  Media Watchdogs Serve New Master: ABC To Broadcast Obama Programming Direct From White House

 

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