That Darn Liberal Media

It's so annoying how the press just bends over backwords for President Obama:

NEW YORK — Three news agencies refused to distribute White House-provided photos of President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on Wednesday, arguing that access should have been provided to news photographers.

The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse said the White House was breaking with long-standing tradition in not allowing news photographers to capture the president at work in the Oval Office on his first day.

"We are not distributing what are, in effect, visual press releases," said Michael Oreskes, managing editor for U.S. news at the AP.

I mean, see how they cower to the Office of the POTUS?

The news agencies have used White House-provided images in the past for areas in the White House where media access is generally not permitted, such as the Situation Room or the private residence. But they contend that the Oval Office is the public office of the president and photographers should have access rather than rely on a government handout.

"Using these photos would be a major break with established precedent and would compromise the long-held tradition of independent photo coverage of the president and the White House by the major news agencies," said Courtney Dolan, spokeswoman for Thomson Reuters.

Reminds me of when former President Bush decreed that no photos of coffins returning to the States where to be taken/published, and the media responded with a big, "Fuck You, Dubya," and they went and did it anyway. Even the US Senate got involved.

Or the time Bush said Africa gave Saddam some yellow cake, and the media said, "Yeah, right..."

Or the time Bush said, "We do not torture," and the media said, "But you're waterboarding and waterboarding is torture! You lied!"