Rift grows between Obama, media as press groups blast administration ‘spin’

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

While Congress is on recess and President Obama vacations in Martha's Vineyard, a coalition of free press groups is escalating an already-aggressive campaign against the Obama administration for allegedly freezing out the press and cracking down on reporters.

 

The flood of critical letters and petitions and statements from First Amendment groups marks a new level of tension in a relationship that for years has been deteriorating. Though Obama, as a candidate in 2008, was widely seen to enjoy favorable media treatment, his administration now is fielding accusations that it's one of the least transparent in history.

 

Society of Professional Journalists President David Cuillier, in a statement earlier this week, blasted the administration for what he called "excessive message management and preventing journalists from getting information on behalf of citizens."

 

SPJ is among the groups that's been leading the charge on the issue. Last month, more than three dozen groups, including SPJ, wrote to the White House about what they described as growing censorship throughout federal agencies.

 

Cuillier's latest statement came in response to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's Aug. 11 letter to his organization regarding their complaints.

 

In it, Earnest said Obama's commitment to transparency is "unwavering." While he acknowledged "there will always be a healthy, natural tension between journalists and the White House," Earnest vowed greater transparency going forward and pointed to several steps the administration has taken: like processing more "freedom of information" requests, declassifying records and releasing information on White House visitors.

 

"Typical spin and response through non-response," Cuillier shot back.

________

 

The Most Transparent Administration Never...