Beat the Press: Does the White House Have a Blacklist?

Have you ever wondered why impressions are so important, it's easy to understand that making a bad impression on someone can lead to devastating consequences. In the article "Beat the press: Does the White House have a Blacklist", Nicholas Condessore explains a growing habit within the White House. It has always been a tactic of government officials to show favoritism towards individuals connected to the media that depict the government in a positive light. This practice leaves many hard hitting reporters in the shadows fending for themselves and usually trying to piece together stories with minimal information. Condessore makes the comparison between a well liked White House reporter, Bob Woodward who writes positive reviews of white house activities and Dana Milbank who according to white house officials writes negative reviews of the government.
Whether or not her reviews are negatively written is open to interpretation, a reporter could write an objective hard hitting piece that simply influences negative opinions by the public but the piece itself is written with factual information does that make it an intentionally negative piece? The article states that Milbank was treated poorly by government officials; because she was viewed as a negative reporter vital information was withheld from her and handed to other reporters who fit the mold of an acceptable agent of the press. This type of professional favoritism or new aged blacklisting seems to be a tactic of the government to put limitations on the press thus controlling media. Withholding information from the press or giving the press information that the White House deems suitable for them to report on is essentially killing the field of journalism because it diminishes the aspect of truth in the media. The truth will not always bring forth positive public opinion but it is the right of the public to be given the opportunity to formulate an opinion based on factual information. Facts are facts and when the public is given those facts they are able to form opinions that change the happenings of their society. Putting restraints on media personnel and giving more access to positive reports on government activities will form a feeling of mistrust among the media towards the government and when the media does not trust the government more publications criticizing the government will be put into mass circulation.

Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.

-Thomas Jefferson