THE (GET IN) LINE DANCE

“I would feel that most of the conversations that took place in those areas of the White House that did have the recording system would, in almost their entirety, be in existence, but the special prosecutor, the court, and, I think, the American people are sufficiently familiar with the recording system to know where the recording devices existed, and to know the situation in terms of the recording process, but I feel, although the process has not been undertaken yet in preparation of the material to abide by the court decision, really, what the answer to that question is.” — Ronald Ziegler, Nixon’s press secretary

At least Jen Psaki, bless her, isn’t Richard Nixon’s press secretary. Can you imagine having that job under Tricky Dick? The comment above won Ronald Ziegler an award from the Committee on Public Doublespeak by the National Council of Teachers of English. But our favorite Zieglerism: “The president is aware of what is going on in Southeast Asia. That is not to say anything is going on in Southeast Asia.”

The daily press briefings given by the modern White House are like dances. At their best, they are Texas swing. What they shouldn’t be are slam-dances in which people bash each others’ heads (like the last four years). But neither should they be tangos (like the next four?).

Being the White House press secretary is a difficult job. And even Jen Psaki might need a little help now and then.

The problem this week: Apparently her staff has asked for help from the very reporters covering them and their boss.

Several outlets have by now reported that the Biden White House has reached out to Capitol reporters, asking them about the questions they’ll ask Jen Psaki during these scheduled media briefings. Believe it or not, even the White House press corps, uh, “expressed concerns.” We can imagine just how they would have expressed such concerns if this would’ve happened six month ago. Although “conniption fit” comes to mind.

Reporters typically don’t appreciate any appearances of collusion with government or government officials. It puts a damper on the whole idea of independent journalism.

We have known times, back in our reporting years, in which newsmakers were given general topics of discussion, just so they could be prepared for in-depth, long, detailed policy interviews. But specific questions in advance? That’s PR work and stage acting.

If Sean Spicer had asked reporters for their questions before taking the podium, cable news networks would have nailed his scalp to the wall — without any advance warning.

There’s an old adage among the inkiest of wretches: You might go have a beer with a source to get some information for a story. But by no means are you allowed to be friends. You don’t get too chummy with press secretaries or those working the press gears behind the scenes. They have jobs to do, just like reporters. And, as H.L. Mencken once said, the only way journalists should look at politicians (or, we’d add, their employees) is down their noses. H.L. Mencken often went too far, but his point should be taken well: Independent journalists can’t get too close to those they cover.

Jen Psaki’s job is to answer questions from reporters about the daily activities of the White House and those who live there. And the job of reporters is to ask insightful questions so they can bring back accurate and new information to the public. Or as one White House reporter was quoted, off-the-record of course: “While it’s a relief to see briefings return, particularly with a commitment to factual information, the press can’t really do its job in the briefing room if the White House is picking and choosing the questions they want. That’s not really a free press at all.”

Another way to say it: These dances can be entertaining, sometimes. But they cannot be choreographed.