White House Banning Reporters from Tweeting Biden’s Comments

July 29, 2012 | Filed under Barack Obama,Constitutional Issues,Democrats,Joe Biden,Liberals,Media | Posted by

On July 24, Vice President Joe Biden took questions from the White House press during a phone conference call, but the White House told reporters they would not be allowed to use Twitter to live-report the VP’s remarks.

Politico reported that the Obama administration banned reporters from Tweeting Biden’s comments as he made them, telling them that they’d only be allowed to report the on-the-record comments once the call was concluded.

What was the justification for clamping down on reporter’s freedom to Tweet?

From White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest, via email: “The embargo will allow journalists to hear the entirety of the Vice President’s remarks and get the benefit of having their questions answered — before trying to condense a 30-minute conference call about a 20-page NEC report into a 140 characters.”

One might suggest that there was another reason for this Tweet ban. More likely the White House wanted to prevent live, instantaneous reporting of Biden’s comments via Twitter so that they could come up with a walk-back or an excuse for whatever Biden gaffe was made during the call. Biden is well-known as a gaffe machine and it is likely that the White House wanted time to get ahead of any possible flubs, but if reporters were live Tweeting it the White House would have less time to invent the excuses for Sheriff Joe’s bungles.

It’s called managing the message.

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Posted by on July 29, 2012.
Filed under Barack Obama, Constitutional Issues, Democrats, Joe Biden, Liberals, Media.
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago-based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, RightPundits.com, StoptheACLU.com, Human Events Magazine, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events.He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book "Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture" which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions, EMAIL Warner Todd Huston: igcolonel .at. hotmail.com"The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it." --Samuel Johnson

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  • jim_m

    So much for respecting the First Amendment. Perhaps in his second term obama will have the flexibility to start putting journalists he doesn’t like in prison.

  • GarandFan

    Just goes along with not allowing cell phones when El Presidente speaks ‘privately’ with fund-raising groups.

  • 914

    How does one tweet an idiot?

    I should ask Grumpy as he’s an expert on all things idiot!

    • warnertoddhuston

      No, that would be tweeting AS an idiot in Grumpy and Commander Cheapo’s case.

  • 914

    How do you tweet to an idiot about an idiot?

    15% real unemployment and 33% un approval numbers!!

    lol.. Will you still love me tomorrow??

  • ackwired

    I’m surprised that “reporters” would want to tweet at these events.