Woodward Vs White House War Has Journalists Exposing The ‘Standards Of This White House’

Susan Duclos @ Wake Up America:

Reporters and journalists are piling up on Bob Woodward who spoke to Politico about an exchange with a WhiteHouse official, which Politico referred to as a “veiled threat,”, a term Woodward never used specifically.

Via the original Politico story, showing Woorward’s actual quotes:

Woodward repeated the last sentence, making clear he saw it as a veiled threat. “ ‘You’ll regret.’ Come on,” he said. “I think if Obama himself saw the way they’re dealing with some of this, he would say, ‘Whoa, we don’t tell any reporter ‘you’re going to regret challenging us.’”

“They have to be willing to live in the world where they’re challenged,” Woodward continued in his calm, instantly recognizable voice. “I’ve tangled with lots of these people. But suppose there’s a young reporter who’s only had a couple of years — or 10 years’ — experience and the White House is sending him an email saying, ‘You’re going to regret this.’ You know, tremble, tremble. I don’t think it’s the way to operate.”

In follow up interviews, Woodward makes that very point, that the actual word “threat” was used by Politico, not him.

Wapo:

Woodward said he stands by the idea that Sperling’s language was over the line but stops short of suggesting outright intimidation. “I never characterized it as a ‘threat,’ ” he said. “I think that was Politico’s word. I said I think [Sperling’s] language is unfortunate, and I don’t think it’s the way to operate. . . . [Sperling’s] language speaks for itself. I don’t think that’s the way to operate.”

The whole incident has brought out some very interesting quotes from other journalists that believe Woodward shouldn’t have brought up the exchange at all, and in their criticisms they make Woodward’s point better than he did.

It is ironic that it is another Politico piece that speaks to the “standards of this White House,” in dealing with the press, when journalists quote speak to how “mild” and “familiar” these types of exchanges are with White House officials that work for Obama.

Quotes:

• Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg- “It’s not a big deal. You’ve been yelled at by people in the White House, I’ve been yelled at by people in the White House.”

• Chuck Todd, the NBC News political director and senior White House correspondent- ” I get emails like this almost every hour, whether it’s from the White House or Capitol Hill.”

• Fox News host Bret Baier said on Andrea Tantaros’s radio show-  “If this is it, I think many reporters — and I covered the White House for four years — received emails like this.” Baier later adds ““I’m not saying the White House doesn’t pressure reporters all the time and put the heat on reporters covering the White House. I’ve heard many, many stories that they do.”

• National Journal editorial director Ron Fournier, who wrote today that he has received several White House e-mails and telephone calls “filled with vulgarity [and] abusive language.”

The common theme of these criticisms, is– Being cussed out and verbally abused, is the standard of this White House over the last four years under Obama.

Isn’t that the very point Woodward as trying to make originally by stating the language used was unfortunate and not the way for the White House to operate?

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