President Obama’s use of new media and social networking was widely praised during the campaign. That same focus a year into his presidency has some in the White House press corps grumbling, according to Howard Kurtz in today’s Washington Post:

“President Obama hasn’t held a full-scale news conference since July. Instead, he answered a dozen people’s questions last week on YouTube, most of the easily finessed and — extra bonus! — no annoying follow-ups of the kind posed by real, live journalists.”

Watch the president’s YouTube interview below:

“It’s a source of great frustration here … It’s important for us to hold the president’s feet to the fire,” CBS White House correspondent Chip Reid told Kurtz.

Click here for the complete article.

lrozett News Media Chip Reid, Howard Kurtz, President Obama

Helen Thomas and Chip Reid argued with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs yesterday about the administration’s efforts to control the press.

Thomas didn’t let it rest there, she told CNS news that the Obama administration has passed Nixon’s in those efforts, “What the hell do they think we are, puppets? They’re supposed to stay out of our business.”

Read the rest of the CNS news article and the transcript of her exchange with Robert Gibbs here.

At issue: the Obama press office arranged to have a Huffington Post reporter submit a question to the President based on questions sent to the President from people in Iran.

lrozett News Media Chip Reid, CNS News, Helen Thomas, President Nixon, President Obama, Robert Gibbs

Remarks Suggest President is Open to an Investigation

April 21 — Press secretary Robert Gibbs faced persistent questioning from the White House press corps, which focused primarily on whether President Obama is now open to possibly holding former Bush administration officials — including the former president — accountable for CIA interrogation methods of suspected terrorists.

In response to reporters after his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah earlier in the day, Obama said, “If and when there needs to be a further accounting of what took place during this period, I think for Congress to examine ways that it can be done in a bipartisan fashion, outside of the typical hearing process that can sometimes break down and break it entirely along party lines, to the extent that there are independent participants who are above reproach and have credibility, that would probably be a more sensible approach to take.” Read more…

BTriplett Uncategorized ABC, Bush administration, CBS, Chip Reid, Chuck Todd, Jake Tapper, Jordan, King Abdullah, NBC, Robert Gibbs, White House correspondents