Re: Bush censorship press coverage of NCLB anniversary event

[aburke5054@aol.com]

I believe that "pool coverage" is arranged though the media, not 
through the White House Press Office, but I am not certain about that.  
How the national news media could fail to recognize the editor of 
Substance as one of their own is beyond me.  What is American 
journalism coming to?

In any event, you do not have a First Amendment right to attend a 
Presidential news conference.  Whether there is a lawyer somewhere who 
would be willing to take your money if you want to press a suit is, of 
course, anyone's guess.  Usually lawyers reserve their First Amendment 
efforts for really important cases, such as the teacher who claimed a 
First Amendment right to publish the district test in his newsletter.  
I wonder how that one turned out?

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Csubstance@aol.com
To: monty@fairtest.org; ndsgroup@yahoogroups.com; 
arn-l@interversity.org; arn2-strategy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 4:09 pm
Subject: [arn-l] Bush censorship press coverage of NCLB anniversary 
event


In a message dated 1/3/08 4:38:06 PM, monty@fairtest.org writes:

<< Bush will be in Chicago to tout the 6th anniversary of the signing 
of
NCLB. FairTest will have a news release tomorrow. Meanwhile, Julie 
Woestehoff of

PURE weighed in on her blog - a good short read at

http://www.pureparents.org/?blog/category/3 >>

January 3, 2008

Colleagues and friends:

I've spent part of the afternoon on the phone with the White House 
Press
Office. They informed me that Bush will be arriving at Greeley 
Elementary School

(832 W. Sheridan Road) at 10:30 a.m and will be speaking about No Child 
Left
Behind at about 11:00 a.m.

When I asked about covering the event, since Substance has covered 
education
news in Chicago for more than 30 years, I was told that it was "pool 
coverage"
and that we were not in the pool. The guy from the White House Press 
Office
(Trey Bohn, he said his name is) also said he didn't know how the 
"pool" was
set up and who was in it.

I asked him to make a space for Substance and called back about 5:00 
p.m. but
was told he was on another call.

If anyone knows a lawyer who wants to have fun tomorrow, it's a 
priority.
There shouldn't be a restriction on press coverage of the anniversary 
of No
Child
Left Behind because the Bush administration deliberately found a 
location
that was "too small" to accommodate all media people. As you know, we 
carry
Chicago Police Department "spot news" press credentials, and have been 
vetted
(fingerprinting, background checks) for all press events in Chicago. 
This was so
we
wouldn't face problems at times like this. Many people who cover "news"
(e.g., for example Catalyst) don't have CPD credentials.

Let me know if anyone thinks there is a major First Amendment issue 
here. It
would require some fast work, but as of now Substance has been told, by 
a
spokesman for the White House, that not all media are being allowed to 
cover
Bush
Monday.

George N. Schmidt
Editor, Substance

www.substancenews.net

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