Following speculation that 'YouTube president' Obama was going to bypass the traditional media in favour of going directly to the public via the White House website and social media sites, it seems that Obama has actually made a concerted effort to interact with the press. "The president has been strikingly accessible," according to Washington Post writer Howard Kurtz, "sitting for interviews or fielding reporters' questions virtually every weekday."

The new president's administration has made it very clear that it intends to be transparent in its actions, in contrast to its predecessor. So far a focus on television seems to have emerged. Obama's first presidential news conference is scheduled tonight, in prime time. The Washington Post's Lisa de Moraes pointed out that such prime time interruptions will cost television networks millions of dollars in lost advertising revenue. In the last week of January, the White House arranged sit-downs on the controversial stimulus package with network anchors from NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN and Fox. "He wants to make his case directly to the American people on the urgency of the problems we face," asserted White House spokesman Bill Burton. "We're exploring every way we can do it. We need to get to voters where they are." Other administration "big guns" have also been speaking to the press, such as economics czar Larry Summers and press secretary Robert Gibbs.

But Obama has not always been as accessible as the media would like, and Kurtz stressed that "Obama has picked his spots, minimizing his media exposure when the hot Washington topic is one he would rather avoid." Some journalists are also unhappy that Obama decides the day before news conferences whom he is going to call on and notifies those reporters, meaning that others in the room are reduced to "the role of mere extras," according to Kurtz. Past presidents have generally worked their way around the room, starting with the wire services, networks and major newspapers.

Obama's focus on television as his key way to get his message across echoes his desire to go straight to the people through the White House website or YouTube, as of all traditional media, television is the most personal and direct way for a figure like him to reach his audience. But he should be wary not to disregard other reporters and remain reachable even at the bad times if his administration is to uphold the reputation for transparency that it desires.

Source: Washington Post