Since my last post we now have a new president - Barack H. Obama. Like millions I watched the inauguration and some of the news coverage, but after a while I found it repetitive and an orgy of love for the new POTUS. Don't get me wrong, it was news and the swearing in of our nation's first black president was historic, but after about two hours I was glad for cable television and the DVR.
Obama hit the ground running on his first day (as all presidents do) and the love continued from the media. One of Obama's first actions was to promise a more open government. That was enough to set the news staff at CNBC cheering.
“For a long time now there’s been too much secrecy in this city,” Mr. Obama said at a swearing-in ceremony for senior officials at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. He added, “Transparency and rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” (From a New York Times article)
No one disputes the need for a transparent government. One of the monumental roles for journalists is to be a government watchdog for the citizenry. So the cynic in me wonders if this move by Obama was something offered as a bone to a media that has been very friendly to the Chicago native. When Obama decides something is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, how will the media act. Will they cut him some slack because of his proclamation? If so, that's a brilliant move on Obama's part to placate some of his biggest fans. Time will tell on this. Obama said the people must hold government accountable. And if he does not follow through on his call of openness, then he must be called on it.
I must laud something that Obama said on his first full day on the job. At a White House press conference he told the assembled reporters that public service is a "privilege" and not about advancing yourself, your friends or your corporate clients. Truer words were never spoken. The men and women who represent their friends, neighbors and total strangers in the halls of the legislature would do well to remember that being a public service is a privilege and a tremendous responsibility.
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1 comment:
Sorry, but Obama is not a Chicago native. He's a Hawaii native and a Chicago resident. And don't expect the media to "cut any slack" for this or any other president on the issue of public access to federal records. Access is the sine qua non of journalism. Officials, like Bush and Cheney (and Putin), who try to restrict access to information are just looking for a fight with the press. And they get it. Obama's decision to make public access a first-day priority is a very positive sign for this administration. More important, it revives the American principle that the government belongs to the people.
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