Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008 - (Page 22)

“But then along came Monica, and all hell broke loose. Suddenly I was replacing daytime soap operas.” That argument seemed persuasive to me. So slowly, over the course of two weeks, I let the lights and cameras stay on a little longer each day. I surmised that if I announced some major new “change in policy” there would be dissent among my colleagues on the White House staff. Better to just let something new evolve. Toward the end of my “elongation initiative,” Knoller asked me at the informal “gaggle” in my ofﬁce one morning if I realized the entire brieﬁng the previous day had been on camera. “Sure,” I said, “but make a big deal about it and it will never happen again.” No one said a word. For most of the following three years, the White House brieﬁng would occasionally generate a news clip of yours truly making some pronouncement on behalf of President Clinton. C-SPAN found the brieﬁngs interesting enough to air late at night so nursing mothers and night-shift workers would have something to watch. (It turned out the president was also frequently in the audience and he would tell me the next day how I could have better answered a certain question.) But then along came Monica and all hell broke loose. Suddenly the brieﬁng was daily fare for CNN and the networks. I was replacing daytime soap operas. More and more each day, reporters would rise in righteous indignation to pose some snarly question and I would retort in kind. It was not a happy time for either side of the adversarial relationship. Unfortunately, the posturing for the cameras outlasted me and Monica. The daily brieﬁng now is mostly a platform for reporters to strut their stuff for their editors and producers and an occasion for outlandish spin from the White House. Dana Perino, the new White House press secretary, is capable and quick at the podium and reporters routinely crowd her morning, offcamera brieﬁng for insight and information. But by the time the cameras roll in the afternoon at the formal brieﬁng, she is bashing Congress for failing to pass appropriations bills or adding her own take on the pre-approved talking points. The presence of the cameras and the tantalizing prospect that the news might be live seems to create an environment that quickly gets overheated. It’s painful to watch such non-productive standoffs. Some White House ofﬁcials even furtively seek out off-camera settings for brieﬁngs so they can make at least minimal efforts to answer basic and important questions. If I had it to do over again, I would have instituted a rule that is in place at the State Department. The brieﬁng should be open to coverage by the electronic media—but not live coverage. The daily brieﬁng should be a forum for information gathering and information dissemination. Most of the time, however, it is not news itself. Allowing something to be covered live implies an urgency that says, “The public needs to know this right now.” Frankly, most of what is asked and answered at the White House daily brieﬁng does not rise to that standard. On the rare occasion when it does, the press can request a “ﬁling break”—as they do at the State Department—so that real news can be imparted immediately. Will the next White House be able to roll back the clock and bring more calm, decorum and substance to the daily brieﬁng for reporters? Probably not. But that’s why, in retrospect, I wish I had gotten it right in the ﬁrst place. Mike McCurry was White House press secretary from 1995 to 1998. He is now a partner at Public Strategies Washington, Inc. 22 Politics January 2008 http://www.clickandpledge.com/ce/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008

Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008 Contents GOP Retirement Woes Getting Girls to Think Politics Movers & Shakers: Karen Hanretty If I Had It To Do Over: Mike McCurry Eve Fairbanks Column Cover Story: Mike Huckabee Hopping the Pond GOP: The Next Generation 5 “Truths” About Women Voters Reds & Blues: States in the Spotlight High Road/Campaign Doc Bookshelf Dick Morris Column John Zogby Column Techbytes Playbook Coming & Going: Who's Where Campaign Sign-ups Marketplace Quips & Slips

Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008

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