Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Something Must Be Done

     Specifically, about this:

     April Ryan isn’t going to show restraint simply because her rudeness has been pointed out to her. Indeed, to the extent she’s allowed to get away with it, she’ll continue – and more and more of her colleagues in the press room will emulate her.

     Ryan has supporters outside the press room, too:

     If those supporters multiply – and given the number of media figures who both seek to promote black racialism and hate the Trump Administration, you know they will – what remains of the pretense of courtesy and civility in the White House press room will vanish.

     This must stop. It must be stopped: the White House press office must publish a set of rules that explicitly forbid shouting, interrupting, and talking out of turn.

  1. First Offense: the offender is not recognized at that briefing or at the next briefing.
  2. Second Offense: the offender is expelled from the press room by security and his credentials are pulled for a period of one year.
  3. Third Offense: the offender is barred from the White House and its grounds permanently, and his institution is forbidden to send a representative to the White House press room for one year.
  4. Should the assemblage of reporters erupt in defense of an offender, the briefing is cancelled at once and the press room is cleared by the Secret Service.

     There is no conceivable reason for White House personnel to tolerate abuse, especially when the abuser is openly hostile and the abuse is openly intended. That should apply to the “ladies and gentlemen of the press” just as much as to anyone else.

5 comments:

furball said...

Absolutely agreed. And I believe that demonstrators who shout down speakers on campus or any other venue should be arrested for disturbing the peace. Maybe that should only include indoor venues, I'm not a legal scholar.

But the idea of any public dialogue devolving to the veto of the loudest mouth(s) can't be good for rational discussion.

Tim Turner

Glenda T Goode said...

Agreed that abuse is an act that should not be tolerated.

The press is acting like a bunch of children.

Since the press creates their own narrative about our president, why not cancel a few press briefings. Punish the rest for their 'classmate's' behavior.

They are going to print whatever they want to anyways.

It is more important to protect Sarah Sanders than it is to allow bullies to bully.

Pascal said...

You've proposed a completely reasonable solution to an intolerable condition.

Thus it will be cast as authoritarian and undemocratic by the same mob for whom these same two adjectives are best suited -- the opposition and their press corps.

Thomas said...

I would think that a self-described curmudgeon such as yourself would be less benevolent in his treatment of White House press corps misbehavior. Your willingness to offer an offender three opportunities to mistreat the President’s spokesperson speaks highly of your capability for tolerance.
I, however, do not possess such magnanimity . Your item 3 would necessarily be my item 1, punishable upon the very first offense. If these propagandists masquerading as journalists wish to be held in such high esteem as they themselves deem, then perhaps they should accept the attendant consequences commensurate with that distinction. In my profession, mistakes or mistreatment of clients can result in a loss of a state-issued license followed by liability lawsuits depending on the severity of the mistake. It would be especially aggravating if my mistreatment was shown to be intended- rather than an honest mistake- much like the clown April Ryan demonstrated by her interruption.
Though my preference of punishment would include hemp rope and sturdy oak limbs for all these POS press corps members, I would reluctantly settle for item 3.

Unknown said...

Sounds good to me. I'd put the kibosh on questions in multiple parts intended to keep the questioner speechifying on camera. And mebbe move the conference site to the old EOB. Doesn't need to be in the White House, after all, the press doesn't rate the privilege.