When Reporters Rise For The President

(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Some people noticed that many reporters rose from their seats last Friday when President Obama unexpectedly entered the White House briefing room, but the same courtesy was not always extended in the past when President Bush would make an appearance.

Comparison videos were even posted on YouTube.

It's a long-standing practice for reporters to rise when the president enters the East Room for a news conference, but that hasn't been the case in the briefing room.

I checked with two colleagues who served as senior wire service reporters during the Bush Presidency and who, in matters of press protocol, the rest of us followed.

"The briefing room is always a more informal place," says Steve Holland of Reuters.

But the principal reason reporters remained in their seats, he said, was not to block the shot of TV cameramen and still photographers in the back of the room who were trying to make a picture of the president's walk-in.

No disrespect was intended for President Bush and to the best of my knowledge none was taken.

In addition, it only takes about three steps for the president to reach the lectern from the press room door. He'd be ready to begin and many reporters would barely be out of their seats, which used to be further complicated by swivel desks that had to be shifted out of the way.

When some reporters stood up for President Obama last Friday, they forgot about the needs of their colleagues in the back of the room as well as the less formal atmosphere of the briefing room. Certainly it was a sign of respect for the president, but not one of disrespect for his predecessor.

It was President Obama's first time at the briefing room lectern since taking office and for some new members of the White House Press, it was their first time seeing a president enter the room as well.

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(CBS)

Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

[berniemcginn]

interesting article. thanks.

[gamachej]

Yes...exactly. I am a desperately uneducated moron....stumbling around in the darkness of my ignorance...desperately waiting..without even knowing it...for this dim witted dunce and his psychotic land-of-the-lost looking wife to save me...to inspire me to be more than what I am...to be more than what I dare to dream I can become...to be a GOVERNMENT WORKER!!! I have a thrill running up my leg!

[mollydtt]

President Bush was not the sort of guy that commanded respect. He tended to smirk a lot and sound condescending when he spoke.
I always had a hard time thinking that he respected his audience.
When Obama won the election, the overwhelming response from U S nationals living abroad, when interviewed, was that finally people in other countries started to look at the U S as a country with a leader that was intelligent and respectful of others.

[victor0803]

Obama respects everybody so he is just getting back what he constantly give

[johndevinejr]

You asinine liberal elitists have no idea what you are playing with.
You will be the first to be silenced by Obama when he tires with you. Sooner if you dare to step out of line

Posted by mnichols1202 at 4:46 PM : May 5, 2009

Asinine liberal elitest is repubspeak for anyone who can speak in Complete sentences.

repubs have been belittling education, knowledge and intelligence for the last 30 years. Culminating with the election of a numskull like George "the decider" Bush and that halfwit Sarah "I don't know what I read" Palin.
Any reporter in their right mind would be skeptical of George Bush who was an inveterate LIAR.

What a bunch of crybaby whiners these repubs are.
What happened to the tough guys who have the courage to tie a man down and torture him. That sure takes guts.

The reason the press seems biased to you is because you subscribe to a version of reality that does not exist except in the tiny little vacuous head meat of the Far Right Wing Nut Job.


.

[CLoverNYC1]

Irony:

The press bows to Obama while he bows to a saudi king.

Those reporters were behaving like the unpopular waiting for a prom dance with the most likely to succeed.

It's no secret President Obama has been the recipient of sloppy love since he took the stage at the DNC.

I wonder if Kerry regrets that move?

[SticksnPucks]

Mark, No credibility there bud, with your rationale. What a sham, I mean shame. Honesty is the best policy.policy

[MSM_Democrat_Partisans]

To the Democrat Liberal MSM and Press:

Jus' come outta da closet!

We all know that you are as Democrat partisan as the gay is long, er day is long.

At this point you are only becoming more of a laughable joke trying to deny that you are anything other than Democrat party operatives who attempt to pass yourselves as objective professional journalists.

The Democrat MSM was already outed, long, long ago.

Mark, don't be a joke. Just admit that yes, you guys are all Democrat Partisans and there is nothing anyone can do about it.


Can we at least all just be that honest about the obvious?

Jus' come outta da closet!

[mnichols1202]

You asinine liberal elitists have no idea what you are playing with.
You will be the first to be silenced by Obama when he tires with you. Sooner if you dare to step out of line.

Mr. Knoller, your story is so full of bull it almost has horns.

I can distinctly remember the disrespectful crap you all always tried to put over on President Bush, the least of which was calling him Mr. Bush all the time. Remember the press conference when he'd finally had enough of it and called out a reporter for calling him just "Bush". He had to remind the little pissant that it was "Mr. President" not "Bush".
The simple fact that a sitting political figure was able to threaten a legitimate business interest in this country with his personal attack dogs, the "White House Press Corps", should have all you spineless lapdogs crawling under a rock somewhere like the slimy trash you all are!

Opps! Did i just make Janet's List?

[kansas1946]

Oh, waaaaaaaaaaaaa. The Bush defenders sound more and more like a bunch of hysterical, cry-baby, looking for any reason to act wounded. It is pathetic. No wonder Rebublicans are on the endangered species list.