Mainstream Media Temper Tantrum

John McCain used to be the darling of the media. He couldn't get enough of them and they of him in 2000. All that has changed. Yesterday the McCain campaign went on the warpath again the NY Times and Ben Smith of Politico for being in the tank for Obama (by the way, I think they were right on both counts). Today as Sarah Palin was set to met some foreign leaders at the UN the media had a meltdown when the McCain camp decided that it would be photos only with no reporters present:

The networks had arranged for a “pool” camera– one camera to cover the first few seconds of the meetings, whose video would be pooled or shared with all networks.

Such arrangements are standard when dealing with intimate high-level meetings between leaders and candidates.

But typically, along with cameras, there is an editorial presence– at least one print reporter, one television reporter, and one radio reporter is standard.

However today the McCain campaign told media covering Palin’s trip to New York that they would allow only one editorial person inside.

Then the campaign scaled back further, saying it will only allow a camera and no editorial presence.

The networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox fiercely objected to the McCain campaign’s apparent effort to try to shield Palin from questions. Networks voted today to not use any video coming out of Palin’s meeting as a protest.

McCain finally backed down just a bit and agreed to let one CNN producer in with the cameras...for 40 seconds.

According to the CNN producer who was let into Karzai’s hotel suite with the photographers just before noon, Karzai was talking about his son. Palin was nodding, and asked what his name is. Karzai replied his name was Mirwais and explained that it means light of the house.

The media were escorted out after about 40 seconds.

Campaign aides subsequently announced that reporters would be allowed to accompany photographers into the later sessions with Uribe and Kissinger.

Oh, how the mighty McCain has fallen in the eyes of the formerly adoring media.

Neither side played this particularly well. There really wasn't any reason not to have the standard press pool in these brief meetings, and any inappropriate questions tossed out by reporters could easily be ignored. At the same time, the media temper tantrum doesn't help their standing among voters either.

While there is a First Amendment right to a free press, there is no right to access to the candidates. The press still hasn't figured that one out.