Former President Barack Obama excoriated President Trump’s shocking ban of three media outlets from White House access — but glossed over his own history of trying to block Fox News from covering him.
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Obama → excoriate → him
Last Friday, Trump ignited a First Amendment firestorm by announcing a ban on CNN, Politico, and MS Now from accessing the White House to cover his administration, citing their “negative” coverage of him, a move that Obama panned.
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Obama → ignite → that
“My imagination could not foresee some of the stuff that is going on right now,” Obama said during a discussion at Colgate University.
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Obama → foresee → University
“I’m trying to think what would have happened if I had said, you know what, Fox News, you’re out of here!
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you → try → what
It’s unimaginable!”
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It → ’ → ?
“If you have a certain cohort, let’s call it 30 to 35% of the country right now, which thinks that’s okay, what that means is that we have not developed the kind of understanding of what democracy requires, and we’ve got to shore that back up.”
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we → have → that
However, the Obama administration had attempted to curtail Fox News’ press access — albeit at a smaller scale than Trump’s controversial ban on CNN, Politico, and MS Now.
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administration → attempt → CNN
In 2009, his team attempted to block Fox News’ pool reporters from interviewing his “executive-pay czar,” Kenneth Feinberg, while giving other outlets in the pool access.
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team → attempt → access
Obama and his administration openly questioned Fox News’ legitimacy as a news organization.
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Obama → question → organization
“We see Fox right now as the source and the outlet for Republican Party talking points,” then-White House Communications director Anita Dunn argued at the time.
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Dunn → see → time
“And it’s fine if that’s, you know, how they want to build their business model,” Dunn said.
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Dunn → ’ → model
“But we don’t think we need to treat them as though they are a news organization the way other news organizations here are treated.
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organizations → think → them
”
Obama appeared to back the effort to cut Fox News out at the time, telling NBC News, “If media is operating basically as a talk radio format, that’s one thing.
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that → appear → format
But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.
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I → ’ → sleep
The top TV networks at the time, including CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, protested the White House’s move, and ultimately the Obama administration backed down.
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administration → include → move
The Obama administration also faced criticism for secretly getting phone records of dozens of Associated Press phone lines, as well as those of other outlets.
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administration → face → outlets
Under former Attorney General Eric Holder, the administration slapped subpoenas and engaged in other aggressive tactics against the press during investigations into leaks.
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administration → slap → leaks
However, after backlash, officials carried out a comprehensive review and later made reforms, including new rules to protect reporters.
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officials → carry → reporters
Obama has spoken out against Trump’s tough tactics against the press in the past.
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Obama → speak → past
Last year, for example, he blasted Trump’s meddling in the White House press pool — the rotating group of reporters who get greater access to the president.
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who → blast → president
The Biden administration also repeatedly cut the New York Post out of access to various events and targeted other conservative outlets at times as well.
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administration → cut → times
Trump’s ban on the three media outlets from getting access to White House grounds, a list he has floated the possibility of expanding, drew fierce backlash, including from some conservative scholars.
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he → get → scholars
While the First Amendment doesn’t specifically mention reporters getting access to the White House, legal precedent in cases like Sherrill v. Knight has generally frowned upon government actions against press access that are the result of viewpoint discrimination.
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that → mention → discrimination
“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably,” Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, who is president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement.
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who → scrutinize → statement
The Aporia
