First Amendment Assault: WH Reporters Not Happy with Biden Regime's 'Quote Approval' Rule, According to Report

Nick Kangadis | May 11, 2021
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The assault on the free speech and free press portions of the First Amendment by President Joe Biden’s regime is continuing and accelerating at a pace that even those on far-left couldn’t dream of.

Apparently, the White House has instituted and has been using a tactic called “background with quote approval.” The measure gives the Biden regime final say on what quotes from Biden regime officials are allowed to be published and attributed to any of their people.

According to Politico:

In practice, that means the information from an interview can be used in the story, but in order for the person’s name to be attached to a quote, the reporter must transcribe the quotes they want and then send them to the communications team to approve, veto or edit them[…]

The practice allows the White House an extra measure of control as it tries to craft press coverage. At its best, quote approval allows sources to speak more candidly about their work. At its worst, it gives public officials a way to obfuscate or screen their own admissions and words.

“…as it tries to craft press coverage.”

Think about that. They are now openly admitting that the White House is curating what the press can or cannot attribute to Biden regime officials as saying.

To be fair, as Politico reported, the Obama and Trump White Houses used the practice as well, but the outlet noted that “reporters say Trump’s team did so less frequently than Biden’s team — which also used the tactic during the campaign.”

No matter who uses the practice, it’s wrong on many levels.

The White House — of multiple administrations — can shield their people from criticism by preventing the press from reporting who said what. The media are complicit in allowing the White House to hold their credentials hostage while curating what the press can or cannot print or say. And the people are complicit by allowing the “people’s house,” the White House, to be used to mask information, while giving the media the views and attention as they rarely publish or broadcast the whole story.

Politicians, the media and the people always talk about wanting “transparency,” but not one of those entities ever practices what they preach.

H/T: New York Post

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