NC’s drive-by *Crybaby Caucus* sounds off on Trump WH “ban”
Those folks allegedly protecting our First Amendment rights sure are a sensitive bunch aren’t they? The Trump White House told CNN and some others they were no longer entitled to dedicated White House work space and a seat in the White House press room. You would have thought The Don said something about their mamas.
I’ve spent decades as a drive-by and independent journalist. On numerous occasions, I scooped reporters from big-name outlets who had dedicated work spaces and access to the legislative building in Raleigh and the White House. On a number of occasions, I had reporters from The N&O and the CharlotteO call me and ask, basically: “How did you get the story, and we didn’t?”
Some Raleigh TV news types occasionally interviewed me on camera about stories I got and they didn’t. (This was back in the day when Bret Baier was prowling the streets for WRAL and Dave Boliek, Sr. was working it for WTVD.)
The gossip network at The General Assembly – for the longest time – was peppered with stories about my alleged daily covert visits to the legislative building.
I’ve been to the governor’s mansion once and the legislative building once in about 30 years.
It seems that you don’t need to have fancy, dedicated work spaces to track down the news. It seems that you don’t actually need to be sitting in DC or Raleigh in order to report the news. (Hopefully, Danielle Battaglia will figure that out.)
One of my old beats included a county courthouse. We had a big story break and a lot of outside media show up. One of the bailiffs told me later that an out-of-town drive-by asked him for directions to the “media work room.”
The bailiff said he laughed and told the drive-by: “This is the most media attention we’ve had in ages. Usually, a big crowd for us is two newspaper reporters and a TV person. They set up wherever there’s a spare bench or chair. There’s no work room, man.”
The out-of-town drive-by looked at him like he was crazy, and moved on. Being from the big-city, and so entitled, has got to be something special.
I remember – during that same media frenzy – watching some locals cuss out and chase off The New York Times. However, the same locals cordially welcomed me and gave me all I wanted in terms of news.
I used to be amazed at how often other drive-bys, who attended the same press event I did, came away with such a radically different story than I did. I guess it’s kind of like why cops interview several witnesses about things like car crashes. Different people can view the same thing very differently.
JD Vance was in Greensboro today to campaign for Republican candidates in the November election. One of the first questions he got hit with – from an angry DEI three named hyphenated female scribbler – was about Trump’s “ban” of CNN.
Vance rightly told the lil’ lady that it is not a ban. CNN can stand on the lawn or outside the gate and report to their heart’s content.
Trump can’t shut you up. Your disgusted, dwindling readership / viewership CAN. (He also doesn’t have to provide you with dedicated work space and a comfy briefing room chair.)
So what, if a politician doesn’t want to talk to you. I got that occasionally, and informed those folks: “I am reporting this story with or without you. If you won’t talk, someone else will. Loose lips, document leaks. Give it time. But if you want to influence the reporting at all, you’ll talk to me.”
Regardless of where you’re standing when you report, do your readers and viewers a favor. Tell the truth. Spare us all from your whining, your ideological bent, and your grudges. We just want to know what happened.
