(Newser)
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Politico calls it the president's "soft-media" strategy. He's largely avoiding the White House press corp and instead giving interviews to the likes of ESPN, People, Entertainment Tonight, and local TV outlets specializing in softball questions. A White House spokesman explains that it's a way to reach Americans who don't typically read the New York Times. The DC press corps is fuming, of course, given that Obama has held only half as many press conferences (eight) as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had at this point in their re-election campaigns.
One former Bush spokesman says it may be frustrating, but it's also smart: “I think just think it comes down to their overall strategy, which is to be low risk, to play it safe," says Trent Duffy. "They feel like they’re ahead and there’s no need to put the president in a position where he makes a mistake. They feel like they’ve got it won, and Romney’s got to do something dramatic.” Until then, the thinking goes, bring on the softballs. Read the full story here.
