Journos Already Chafed Over WH Access

'Rookie mistake' keeps press from second oath-taking

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted Jan 23, 2009 9:29 AM CST

(Newser) – Day 4, and already the White House and the press are squabbling? Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ maiden briefing included outbursts from reporters angry over what they saw as opaque behavior, Politico reports. The top complaint: Only four reporters, and no non-White House cameras, were allowed at President Obama’s retaking of the oath. Said Gibbs, “We would have had to get a bigger room.”

Journalists likened official photos of the oath to a press release, and several wire services refused to distribute them. “I think not letting video, that’s a bit of a rookie mistake,” says Clinton administration press secretary Dee Dee Myers. “When you can, it’s better to err on the side of inclusiveness with the press.”

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Press Secretary Robert Gibbs holds his first press briefing yesterday in the White House briefing room. (AP Photo)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, tours the Brady press briefing room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Reporters compete for questions as President Obama's press secretary, Robert Gibbs, conducts his first daily briefing at the White House yesterday. (AP Photo)

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Media complaints come through in this snippet from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' first daily briefing. (kherman54)

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We have a tradition here of covering the president. - Bill Plante, CBS reporter

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Journos Already Chafed Over WH Access