DANIEL R.
SCHWARZ
Voices
HUFFINGTON
09.30.12
Political
Media’s
Access-forIndependence
Tradeoff
M
ICHAEL LEWIS’ excellent article, “Obama’s
Way,” about the Obama White House in the
October issue of Vanity Fair raises some interesting questions about sourcing in political
journalism. By allowing the White House to
approve quotations—which he has admitted—
he surrendered some of his independence as a
journalist in exchange for access.
As the New York Times’ Jeremy W. Peters
writes:
[The White House] press office has veto
power over what statements can be quoted
and attributed by name… Most reporters,
desperate to pick the brains of the president’s
top strategists, grudgingly agree. After the interviews, they review their notes, check their
tape recorders and send in the juiciest sound
ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX NABAUM
Daniel R.
Schwarz is
the author of
Endtimes?
Crises and
Turmoil at
the New York
Times, 19992009 and
the Frederic
J. Whiton
Professor
of English,
Cornell
University