Petrelis Files

E&P: Bloggers and White House Press Briefings

Joe Strupp over at Editor & Publisher has posted a great thought-provoking column, all about bloggers and the White House press briefings, which you should read. Here's the letter I wrote to him this morning.
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Dear Mr. Strupp:

Just read your column on bloggers and White House daily press briefings, and have a few comments and questions.

First, I wish you had asked me and other bloggers if we'd be interested in attending the briefings and asking questions of Scott McClellan. Nothing wrong with quoting MSM reporters on the Oval Office beat, but it seems to me political bloggers should have been asked why more of us have not applied for credentials and joined the pack of journalists in the briefing room.

Second, I'm very pleased you got comments from Garrett Graff and Eric Brewer, two bloggers who've attended some briefings and posed questions. If only more political bloggers in the Washington area would follow their example, get White House press credentials and inject some new blood into the proceedings, we might see more Americans paying attention to important issues raised at the briefings. After all, many people in the blogger audience are getting their news from bloggers and not the MSM.

Third, as blogger who lives in San Francisco and obviously can't physically be present at the daily briefing to raise my hand and ask questions, I'd like to propose that the White House press office and the White House Correspondents Association work with bloggers beyond the Beltway to find a way for us to pose questions.

Here's my proposal on this. The WHCA designates someone to whom bloggers outside the Beltway submit written questions and the White House agrees the designee is allowed to ask 5-6 questions from bloggers, every day, at the end of the daily briefings.

What questions would I submit for asking today? CBS News has appointed Sean McManus to run things and he last year contributed $250 to the Bush campaign. Does the White House hope CBS will now provide more favorable coverage of the president and his policies?

Also, would the president consider appointing an openly gay or lesbian advisor to his inner circle of White House confidants?

I applaud the White House deciding to grant bloggers press credentials and tried to use this breakthrough to persuade the State Department's press office to grant me a daily press pass back in the summer when I expected to be in Washington. My hope was to attend one or two State press briefings so I could ask the department about Iran's public hanging of two gay teenagers and other abuses of Iranian gays and lesbians.

Unfortunately, State denied my request for a press pass, as a blogger, and, as far as I know, no federal agency has granted bloggers press credentials.

Then again, I'm not aware of other bloggers applying for press credentials or a day pass from the federal agencies. Perhaps it's time for bloggers to get organized on this and lobby all federal departments to open up their press briefings to political bloggers.

In any event, thanks for writing your column on bloggers and the White House and giving me food for thought.

Best,
Michael