The White House press corps used to be made up of the
creme de la creme of Washington journalists. It was the most coveted job in the business, even before the onset of television networks turned reporters into celebrities.
What is it now? Well, they have their very own headquarters office in the White House and their own little club the White House Correspondents Association. And every year they put on a black-tie dinner where national celebrities mingle with media celebrities and the line between entertainment and news is further blurred.
The notion that they are “journalists” in any fundamental understanding of the word has been abandoned. They have become caricatures of a free press to the detriment of the people and the government of the United States. Philip Freneau would be turning in his grave if he could size up this gaggle of gossiping, grasping, power-mad mini-Napoleans.
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Maxwell Tani
Apr 28, 2021 12:55 PM ET
Cuomo fulfilled his promise, holding a press availability in Syracuse on Monday. But there was a catch: the event was officially announced less than two hours before he was scheduled to appear, making it difficult for many journalists assigned to Cuomo and based nearly two hours away in capital city Albany to arrive in time (some journalists, luckily, had caught wind of the event in advance and appeared in time).
The move was just the latest in an ongoing back-and-forth between the reporters covering the governor’s mounting scandals and an embattled executive who has done little to hide his irritation and frustration with the reporters assigned to cover his powerful office.
Although Andrew Cuomo is finally opening up events to the media again, he’s making it exceedingly difficult for reporters to make it in time. Some gubernatorial reporters even proposed a boycott in response to such “mind games.” Last week, the New York governor announced that he would begin to allow reporters to attend events and ask questions, breaking a four-month-long absence during which Cuomo’s office held virtual events due to what it said.