Finally acknowledging what balanced and conservative media have known for years, Politico, of all places, acknowledged that President Obama is a transformational manipulator of the press.
Of course, Politico has realized this for some time, though perhaps not the extent to which Obama's shenanigans are damaging the press's ability to act as he founders intended, as virtually another branch of government. Their job is to help maintain the balance of power by transmitting information that government officials would rather keep quiet to the public. Politico, and other mainstream media outlets it cites in this extraordinary piece, are just beginning, now that the second election is over, to feel the full impact--the brazenness--of Obama's exclusionary tactics. No longer is the administration bothering to even pander to them.
Politico goes one step farther: to acknowledge that the White House's decision to ignore the press is "an arguably dangerous development."
Politico writes that:
"the mastery mostly flows from a White House that has taken old tricks for shaping coverage (staged leaks, friendly interviews) and put them on steroids using new ones (social media, content creation, precision targeting). And it’s an equal opportunity strategy: Media across the ideological spectrum are left scrambling for access.
"The results are transformational. With more technology, and fewer resources at many media companies, the balance of power between the White House and press has tipped unmistakably toward the government. This is an arguably dangerous development, and one that the Obama White House — fluent in digital media and no fan of the mainstream press — has exploited cleverly and ruthlessly."
Nothing arguable about it. It's dangerous.
