More ‘Rules’ Sean Spicer Can Change for the Press Pool

Changes are needed regarding the rules when it comes to how the White House interacts with the dishonest parts of the press. Here is Ned Barnett writing at American Thinker:

As Miami-Dade Mayor proved by abandoning his city’s long-standing status as a Sanctuary City demonstrates, President Trump is a broom that is sweeping clean. He’s dramatically changing how government is “supposed” to work, focusing instead on making government work better for all Americans.

After what some considered a “false start,” Press Secretary Sean Spicer has emulated the President, imposing new procedures on a reluctant, self-focused press corps. Kudos.

This transformation began when Spicer – abandoning tradition – began his very first press Q&A by calling on less well-known reporters, instead of deferring to favored, “front row” media. He then doubled down by stripping the senior-most press corps member’s “right” to close each press briefing. Both of those “press perks” gave the White House press corps real power over these briefings.

That was in fact a great start, but even more is needed to take back control of press briefings.

Spicer is the President’s surrogate. He needs to abandon previous press secretaries’ behavior – many were just far too deferential to the press. That deference closed an open conduit between their Presidents and the American people. So Spicer should keep challenging the press corps’ prerogatives, resetting the ground rules of the game.

Challenge Reporters’ Self-Imposed Privileges:

Reporters set their own agendas, no longer following the Administration’s lead. Right out of the box, Spicer successfully challenged a couple of the most petty “press perks.”

Other press perks remain in force. They have a common denominator – they feed the reporters’ sense of self-importance without improving public dialogue. It’s up to Spicer to follow President Trump’s “disruptive” example. Perks that need to change include: Move the Briefing Room to the OEOB.

Read more: American Thinker

Image credit: Old Executive Office Building, Washington, DC, photo by John Donovan Lambert.