newyorktimes.com: A group of black bloggers and journalists from outlets like Essence and BET were invited to the White House this week for a half-day of policy briefings by the president’s advisers. The White House provided the journalists with an agenda that spelled out the ground rules: the first half of their briefings was to be on background, meaning they could report any information they learned but not attribute it to any specific official; the second half was off the record entirely.
“The media is changing so rapidly,” President Obama said, acknowledging the role of the Web in allowing his administration to reach out beyond audiences that are mainstream media consumers.
According to news reports, some who attended Monday’s meeting felt they were being used for political expediency and made clear to White House officials they were not willing to be “pimped”.
