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This week on 'Fox News Watch': 2/23/13

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    Has our president become a media-controlling puppet master?

  • Duration 7:04
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This transcript is automatically generated

Hello again.

Normally we would show you some video right here in this case it would have been a clip of President Obama hanging with his golfing buddy Tiger Woods over the weekend.

But we don't have those pictures because the white house press corps was locked out access denied.

Now is that a big deal well maybe especially when candidate Obama made this promise.

What I want to do is maintain.

This.

This virtual.

Community that we've built.

And I want people to keep challenging me impressing me.

And I want to create a a White House that is more transparent.

And accountable.

Where and any government we've seen before.

Well the Obama White House is actually -- over active in cutting off access controlling the message and manipulating the media to avoid answering some of the tough questions.

The journalists whose job it is to cover the president reacted to his latest shut out.

Fox News chief White House correspondent Ed Henry who also serves as the president of the White House Correspondents' Association.

Issued this statement.

A broad cross section he -- of our members from print radio online and TV have today expressed.

Extreme frustration to me about having absolutely no access to the president of the United States this entire weekend.

There is a very simple but important principle we will continue to fight for today and in the days ahead.

Transparency.

Jim that there were some of them media who missed the point of the statement Ed Henry said it's not about golf it's about access and covering the president.

-- mean it was insisting that the president was playing golf not only with Tiger Woods but also with a bunch of oil industry executives which seemed to go in the face of his climate change protestations and only a few places like the Huffington Post but it was a big deal even when that found out.

But look I think this is -- in case where.

The -- the the message of transparency was kind of lost because the messenger was Ed Henry who was a fine reporter well respect obvious his colleagues like -- -- elected him.

President of the association but that was the Q.

Two of the nattering -- -- of negatives and the pressed there was an assistant you know a plot by fox too -- presidents on.

And and as if political still buyers had it was a quote public relations disasters of the white house press -- -- -- its -- Press Secretary to defend itself.

But I think the mainstream media -- -- so Obama Philip that they just clobbered the white house press corporate daring to ask questions for a time -- I understand the white.

House didn't even tell where the president was saying sticking out you know god forbid there have been some kind of a terrorist attack or an accidental explosion what is the press supposed to do in that situation.

Well the press is supposed to do exactly what Ed Henry did and that is complain and say we're not going to be -- -- anymore we're gonna ask tough questions.

When Fox News is kept out of that of a background briefing on Ben Ghazi.

And fox is one of the few networks it's been pressing this issue they're gonna raise holy heck.

And they're going to saying when this administration goes after leak Curtis or whistle blowers and the journalists who publish what they tell us.

We are going to be upset.

Meantime there was a leak of the president's immigration plan last weekend and the White House didn't seem to have any problem -- but they they sidestep the tough questions.

From the you know from the white house press core.

In favor of you know local TV anchor is that they trot into the White House's and that kind.

Well this is political piece which was headline President Obama puppet master question mark.

And the answers yes he is you know is the puppet master of this media.

You focus on the fact that the president really wants to talk to people who.

Aren't gonna give him tough questions to which I would -- actually I think Chris -- should be proud that the president look on his show at this point because.

What it says is he only goes on the shows of people who are go easy on -- -- and so that means I think these other people who call themselves journalists are asking why as a presidents -- want to come on my show so often that.

But masterpiece was spawned in part by the lack of access of the golf game correspondent and Compton who's been at the White House a long long time was quoted vastly.

The President's Day to day policy development on immigration on guns is almost totally opaque to the reporters trying to do a responsible job of covering it.

There are no read outs from the big meetings he has with people from the outside and many of them aren't even on his schedule.

This is different from every president I covered the White House this White House goes to extreme lengths to keep the press away why.

And it's only taken the elite mainstream media what four years to discover this about this White House.

Every White House does try to control its message and it's narrative this White House is not unique in that way.

But what's different here is that this White House has a huge advantage in that most immediately mainstream media.

Is on its side and doing -- -- every day and that's one of the great ironies about all of this.

Is that the White House.

Pretty much like every White House before it loads the press doesn't trust the press trust keep -- -- arm's -- tries to freeze out.

Outlets that they believe are are hostile to it.

But the irony here is that this president and this White House has gotten more favorable coverage and more protection.

Than any other president in recent memory.

And then there was a report of a and off the record meeting between -- president and the press corps on Thursday of this week.

When asked about a Jay Carney the presidential spokesman wouldn't even admit that the meeting had taken place it was -- the record it at.

I mean look that -- with Mike and it got it exactly right except for when they have him for years and one day.

The day after the election they started to wake up little bit and get little bit of us as a spine bit is look at statewide old slate said.

Quote Obama's contempt for the press corp runs long and -- unquote and that's exactly right and -- -- -- -- every report every present and appealing but the -- what the differences.

As -- saying.

The press loves him anyway they may not like him personally and they certainly don't like Jay Carney.

But it is in their mind and historical necessity of this man win govern get reelected and if they could but from the third term they would.

But it's also incredible though that the press discovered their outrage about to being denied access over a golf game with Tiger Woods.

Where is their outrage on being blocked access to Ben -- or fast and furious.

Or questions about debt spending jobs growth.

It would be nice to see if they were as curious about that.

Interesting the White House didn't even release a white house press photographer picture of the Tiger -- event now.

You know they complain that apparently reporters only want to see the president with celebrities well if you go on the White House Flickr site.

You can see pictures of him with the Chicago Bulls.

With BB king with George Clooney Katy Perry Will Ferrell.

The cast of modern family.

But there is nothing of this.

Well now humiliated former golf star Tiger Woods who.

Yeah this is more about Tiger Woods is rehabilitation.

Being seen or being with me a -- -- for the president than it is about a month and Compton also said.

By the way that this is a trend this has been getting worse with every administration.

All right.

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