Presidency and the Media

The Bush White House has long viewed the media skeptically. A nice piece discussing this is Fortress Bush, from the New Yorker magazine; in that article, Ken Auletta relates,

What seems new with the Bush White House is the unusual skill that it has shown in keeping much of the press at a distance while controlling the news agenda. And for perhaps the first time the White House has come to see reporters as special pleaders—pleaders for more access and better headlines—as if the press were simply another interest group, and, moreover, an interest group that’s not nearly as powerful as it once was.

Given this view toward the press, an article in today's Washington Post seems to signal a turnabout:

Off the Record, Bush Makes Media Inroads
Private Sessions Rare for Administration

By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 28, 2006; A14

As he defends his Iraq policy with a public campaign of speeches and a recent news conference, President Bush also has been waging a private campaign that has included off-the-record sessions with White House reporters, sources said yesterday.

One gathering, which took place Thursday in the White House residence, was an unusual gesture by Bush, who has agreed to comparatively few lengthy exchanges with reporters during his five years in office. Bush has said publicly that he needs to convince Americans that the U.S. mission in Iraq is on a path to victory, despite what he called a news media focus on daily violence.

Wow, a person sure could write a paper with that and chapter 11, eh?