I'm still waiting for evidence today's press knows about FOIA. Heck, it might help them write a story about how Ron Ziegler used to serve the press jelly beans, or something equally profound.

as badly as investment bankers currently misread the public mood, so do reporters. a shallower, more narcissistic crowd of clowns one could hardly imagine.

It's just like Ed Henry said in his post smack down news article about himself. The WHOC is not there to report on the presidents policies and agenda, or to ask questions that clarify matters for the people. They are there to make news and enhance their careers. That's why Tapper had to "take charge" and complain.

What do you want to bet that for the entire weekedn the big presidential news story is Gibbs being late to the breifing, and how it shows that the adminstation is thoughtless, disorganized, arrogant, uppity and overexposed.

Sorry WHPC

If you think the White House press room is a vehicle for the transmission of actual meaningful information about the world, what in the old days was called 'news', than Gibbs being late because he was getting more news to pass along is not only acceptable, but commendable.

If you think the White House press room is a stage set for kabuki play in which you are part of a complex web of status-seeking, in-fighting, and power-plays between characters of varying levels of ego and psychological maladjustment, then Gibb's failure to be on-stage to play his role in response to his cue is a personal affront and highly unprofessional.

Questions like the ones seen at the recent press conference, and that one about the teleprompter, make it clear which view is held by the majority of the press corps.

Gibbs, on the other hand, seems to hold the first view, as do I.

Can anyone really claim that they're NOT surprised about the press corps getting all pissy now that there's a Democrat in the White House again? Or that they're really pissy about petty bullshit like Jumbotrons?!? I mean, these is the same bunch whose ranks include the assclown who, during President Obama's first press conference in the midst of what the press themselves had deemed "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression," couldn't think of any questions more piercing or crucial than the President's opinion of A-Rod being outed for using steroids.

I suggest that Gibbs invite magazines like People, Teen, Entertainment Weekly, etc. to be members of the press corps. They would provide the same level of journalism / penetrating analysis that the current corps provides.....perhaps even better.

Our Washington Beltway Press Corp: Immature Junior High Schoolers with ego's the size of Rush's belt.

It's okay to lie to the press about unlawfully invading a nation that really had no involvement, but ruffle the feathers of a bunch of thin skinned egocentric narcissistic press corps then it's war?

No wonder Helen Thomas has the only (metaphoric) pair in that whole bunch.

I kind of like the way Gibbs lets Jake Tapper ask as many partisan infused questions as he wants. Kind of reminds me of lancing a wound.

Maybe it's not right, maybe it's a little absurd, but that's the way it is, and it's honestly not a big deal. The fact is, Gibbs shouldn't be late to briefings except in extraordinary circumstances, and if he is late, he should apologize. Why? Because it's not nice to keep people waiting, and the press holds the cards here. You do have to kiss their ass a little - it will pay dividends. It's called tactics.

I've read in the past articles describing how put out liberal commentators can be vs. how conservative commentators will happily do what the media asks of them in order to get their views heard, how conservative think tanks have the best food at their conferences and on and on. I really don't understand why liberals don't understand this.

It's like trying to get a difficult client to change their minds - do you tell them that they are idiots or do you say they their ideas are brilliant, and they can be even more brilliant if only they did this too ...

Why I Could Never Be A Press Spokesman: I would make a point of being at least 10 minutes later the next day.

Dear Will: I was a working reporter (sports) for 30 years. People are late, and that's the way life is. To get angry about it means you are a stupid and disagreeable person.
The fact is, being toadies at heart, the press corps will like Gibbs more if he delivers a few swift kicks.

They've got their stories written anyways. Why Gibbs goes out there at all, except to justify his paycheck, is beyond me.

On the tombstone of the Republic will be the epitaph "Killed By A Story Arc".

Did the WHPC get upset when they had to wait until Jeff Gannon had asked his question?

How long did it take the WHPC to figure out that "Jeff Gannon" wasn't really a newsie? Did they ever? Or was just showing up dressed in clothes (some of the time -- NSFW) enough that Our Nation's Greatest Journalists would accept him as one of their own?

Will is right, with all due respect to JMG. In fact, Dana Perino coddled her WHPC and had them eating out of her hand. She and her staff were constantly working on these reporters' little vanities, goo-gooing over their families, asking for pictures of their children, and stroking their insecurities: oh! You are so SMART! That was a wonderful piece you wrote! With your grasp of the issues I'm surprised you didn't write about X! She and her staff would sit and meet with them personally, go to lunch or out to drinks with them just to chat and talk about their work. Thus she kept them in line like obedient little puppy dogs, writing down whatever she said and rarely pressing for answers or followups. It worked better with the men than the women, of course. For the women, she and Laura would put on tea parties and little get-togethers complete with chocolate microphones.

Sure, you might be disgusted by this tactic but I can tell you it worked, even when the journo knew what she was doing. It worked. I never understood why the Dems don't get this. They mistakenly think that journos should be acting like professionals. That's why it was a big mistake to hire Gibbs, and not a professional journo for that position.

I rather recently read an analysis of the reporting "industry" whose premise was that the decline of reporting started when the job became less about reporting and more about just getting on TV. I'm inclined to agree given the behavior that I can see.

Unfortunately for us, we seem to have a whole lot of reporters that never read enough Twain:

“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.�

Gibbs speaks FOR this Administration, TO the world, VIA the WHPC.

Were I a member of the WHPC, and Gibbs kept we waiting, I'd probably assume it is NOT because he can't tear himself away from playing Minesweeper. My first thought would probably be that a story might be brewing, not that he's wasting my valuable Twitter time.

What people like Will and James seem to fail to understand is that this Administration is taking a calculated gamble with the media...because the game has changed and the Administration doesn't need the media as much as the media needs the Administration. Obama is habitually taking his message directly to the people via the internet. Why are bloggers being allowed to ask questions at WH press conferences? Is it because they're sycophantic to Obama? OR is it because their questions are more intelligent, their analysis more nuanced, their reporting, in general, just better than the supposed "professionals" in the room? The traditional media's rols is being usurped, and the last people who seem ready to acknowledge this is the traditional media itself. It doesn't have to be that way, the MSM is complicit in its own obsolescence. They can take the reins now, start doing their job, ignore the petty and the gossipy and try to inform the people. There are always exceptions to the rule, but by and large good reporters get noticed more than good-looking ass-kissers. At least, they're noticed more for the right reasons. Obama via Gibbs is putting the MSM on notice. Be journalists or risk being ignored, marginalized and figuratively neutered. That they fail to recognize this is their failing is their problem, not the Administration's. Will & James seem to recognize the value in positive reinforcement. But there's a value to negative reinforcement as well, to tell someone "no, bad, stop, don't." This Administration sees it, and they're rewarding people who are doing good work, They just happen to be the bloggers.

Bush's press secretarys were never late. Neither were the trains in Germany in Italy before WWII.

Not sure how I got pulled into your argument, slappy. I don't disagree with you. I was just stating facts. I support every move the administration makes to go around the White House Princess Corps. But here's another fact: The majority, the vast majority, of Americans still get ALL of their news from television by a long, long shot. I'd be happy to provide you with links for that if you wish, or browse through the extensive research at Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Thus, to some extent the Obama Administration does still need these prissy prima donnas. Republicans have a far superior media message operation, and the Dems would do well to learn from it. I'm just saying.

Lois Romano is the idiot who defended George Will's right to lie about climate change as "giving latitude."

Someone is surprised that this airheaded otherwise-unemployable bimbo works for the Washington Pest?

James, mine's not really an argument per se. It's more focusing on a different side on the same topic (how's THAT for parsing?) You, and to larger extent Will, are discussing why the last Administration behaved the way it did with the press corps, and how/why it's effective. I'm talking about why this Administration does what it's doing with the press corps and why I think (HOPE) history will bear it out as a good decision. Cut to the quick: The media doesn't know how much they suck, and the White House is more than happy to let them know how much they suck until they either stop sucking or become completely irrelevant.

And now my only "argument" is that I don't think Obama needs the media as much as you seem to. Much like Clinton's approval ratings stayed strong throughout the fustercluck that was Monicagate and his military operations, Obama's good will - the belief a majority of Americans have that he's truly working towards righting wrongs and improving heir lives - is only going to make the media look worse, especially if Obama doesn't eff up and they're forced to make mountainsd out of giant teleprompters and late start times for press conferences.

I'm with slappy magoo.I think he hits the nail on the head. The rules have changed - look at the umbrage when no MSM lying sacks of shit were chosen for questions the other day and I think they miss their cutsy nicknames that Shrub used to give them

Remember what happened when Bristol Palin was late? Do you think her mom was upset?

I'm with you on your goals, slappy. I think there is room for both approaches. You still have the problem that I mentioned, that the majority of people still get their news from television. And too, he needs the support of Congress to get this legislation through, to say nothing of international support. At this time, the press and the White House Princess Corps play a big and influential role. Congress is very much sensitive to the press. And how about the foreign press?

If that changes, great, but it will be a slow change. On the positive side, the majority, believe it or not, of the WHPC are good, hard-working, ethical journos. You don't hear much about them because they aren't the ones making the news, they are reporting it. This includes the wire reporters, radio, foreign press, regional press. They aren't all prima donna assholes like Chip Reid and Ed Henry.

I think it's a mistake not to try to work with the press corps we have. Trying to strongarm them has never worked for the Dems, and I doubt it will work this time around either. Already it is turning, in my opinion, into Clinton II.

An Anonymous commenter had this to say about some of the questions during Obama's press conference:

I thought the worst question was obvious. It was the one about whether race had entered into any of the discussions in the White House.
What did they expect him to answer, "Yes, several senators have called me the N-word, and they keep bringing me fried chicken as a gift."

Here's the link to the Anonymous Liberal website that warranted the comment.

I thought it was pretty funny.

Jake Tapper follows Michelle Malkin on twitter. Just saying.