[John Leland 1789]

Mr. Thompson doesn’t have to pander to the press (at any level). Do they think they are more worthy than James Dobson?!

I am praying that, if Fred Thompson becomes our president, he will begin rotating the media field involved in his press conferences. That is, to rotate in more conservative journalists, and rotate some of the old standard ones out. I’m not talking about banishment, but about rotation, unless he wants to build a much larger press conference room, and triple the time he spends answering questions.

Yea, yea, I’ve been told how the White House Press Corps work and how they are set up. But I keep asking where this is enshrined in law, and of course it is not.

I hope a President Thompson will make the announcement that the White House Press Corps have got to include a much better representation of conservative reporters, or else he will begin a rotation system based on a list developed by an independent source.

It is time that, while we honor the freedom of the press, the “press” itself must also allow more freedom in the WHPC — allow a wider field of journalists.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, but, in my opinion, does not mandate that anyone have to work for them by bending over (in either direction) to dump news stories on them. A rotation system allowing a much wider range of journalists in the WHPC should enhance freedom of the press, not hinder it.

[pepperdog]

Your comments really gave me food for thought. I had never considered the long term assignments of the Wash. press corp. In a venue like the beltway it is not a good idea for them to remain on the job for years and years. They are going to build friendships and allegiance to people which will cause impact their ability to remain above the story. Perhaps this is why we have such lopsided reporting. And perhaps, and probably more importantly, this is why we have terrible leaks that jeopardize the safety of the country. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for the media to be cycled through kind of like the college aids? Not as young and untrained, but with a fresh perspective, maybe some from middle America. Perhaps journalists that have lived in real circumstances rather than the thin air of New York and LA and the large cities. JMHO.