The media’s access to President Barack Obama is far less than either of his predecessors, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton, according to Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner.
“This president has given far fewer press conferences in his first term than any recent president,’’ York told Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.’’
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“He gave fewer than George W. Bush did his first term, fewer than Bill Clinton did in his first term."
York said when formal press conferences and other appearances where the president takes a few questions are added up, “Obama did somewhere about 110 in his first term, Bush did over 300, and Clinton did over 600.
“So he’s been very, very inaccessible to the press so they’re in a kind of constant state of irritation about that.’’
York said the president’s dismissal of the press as he addressed the National Governors Association at the White House on Monday, was “particularly Orwellian.’’
“What was going to happen was there would be questions between the governors and the president which would be really interesting and should be public between all of these public officials,’’ he said.
“And the press had been hoping, of course, to watch and report on that and the president shooed them all out of the room. So this led to more complaints.’’
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