Are Carney’s press briefings more ‘staged’ than pro wrestling? Jake Tapper weighs in; Updated
http://twitter.com/#!/zenpundit/status/446651241280462848
Twitter is buzzing this morning over an Arizona CBS reporter’s recent “off-the-record” interview with Jay Carney. Specifically, Catherine Anaya’s claim that Carney told her that that “a lot of times,” he gets the White House press corps’ questions in advance of the daily briefing:
http://twitter.com/#!/bvervelde/status/446651319302901760
http://twitter.com/#!/VickiMcKenna/status/446643320341540864
http://twitter.com/#!/24Robertson/status/446635889561575425
http://twitter.com/#!/Mattphilbin/status/446646253833969664
http://twitter.com/#!/ruffansore/status/446654539492376576
Inquisitive tweeters turned to former ABC White House correspondent Jake Tapper for insight:
http://twitter.com/#!/waderic4/status/446630817478217729
Tapper went on the record about his own experience:
http://twitter.com/#!/TheRealOxlong/status/446650578014584832
http://twitter.com/#!/TheRealOxlong/status/446651523234562049
http://twitter.com/#!/jaketapper/status/446652520006701056
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Update:
Fox News chief White House correspondent Ed Henry echoes Tapper:
http://twitter.com/#!/edhenryTV/status/446660206706323456
http://twitter.com/#!/edhenryTV/status/446661059118915584
http://twitter.com/#!/edhenryTV/status/446661614092431360
http://twitter.com/#!/edhenryTV/status/446662560306446336
http://twitter.com/#!/edhenryTV/status/446662861843337216
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Update:
According to the Daily Mail, Anaya has apologized for her earlier report, saying that she was asked to submit a question for Carney ahead of time:
“As a local journalist I had no issue providing my proposed question in advance,’ she told MailOnline, ‘because I wanted to make sure it was an appropriate q[uestion] for a national briefing and I wanted to make sure it was appropriate for Mr. Carney.”
“[B]ut in discussing it with a staff member the night before, we decided I would save it for the president. I was attempting to not waste national time on a local question, but in my attempt at explaining that I unintentionally made it sound like that experience applied to everyone.”
“That is my mistake,’ Anaya added, ‘and I own up to it.”
In another twist, the Daily Mail reports that Anaya’s network, KPHO-TV, posted a statement on the matter — and pulled it shortly thereafter:
http://twitter.com/#!/EditMeDavid/status/446730069638381568
