Shielding Palin from the press
Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 1:13 PM by Carrie Dann
Filed Under:
Sarah Palin
From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
NEW YORK – The
McCain-
Palin campaign tried to prevent reporters and television producers from viewing the vice presidential nominee's meetings with world leaders during the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday.
The campaign had planned to allow a “pool” camera and producer -- serving as representatives for all five television networks -- as well as wire and newspaper reporters into of most of Palin's meetings. But, at the last minute, the campaign informed the press corps that only cameras – without reporters or producers accompanying them – would be permitted.
The five television networks protested, threatening not to shoot video of the meeting at all unless an editorial presence was allowed into the meeting.
The campaign relented, and a CNN pool producer was permitted to view the beginning of Palin's meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the first of the day.
Representatives from wire services and newspapers were not allowed into the Karzai meeting, but will be allowed into subsequent meetings with Columbian President Alvaro Uribe and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, a campaign aide said.
One aide (possibly from Karzai’s entourage) repeatedly said “No writers” and tried to block the CNN producer from entering the room during the Karzai meeting, according to a pool report, but a senior Palin aide allowed the producer to enter.
Images of Palin with world leaders would likely to help boost her foreign policy credentials, but tough questions from reporters could overshadow the event. Members of the press were in the room for a total of 29 seconds during the Karzai meeting, according to the pool report.
The campaign has cautiously shielded Palin from reporters, allowing just a few interviews and preventing reporters traveling with the campaign from asking questions. She has not held a press conference since being chosen by McCain four weeks ago, and has not done the traditional local interviews when traveling into media markets.
On Sunday, Palin stopped at an Orlando ice cream shop but reporters were not told of the event so an editorial representative was not sent. Several days earlier, press aides were surprised that a pool reporter asked questions about the economic situation during a stop at a deli in Cleveland.
