Obama slams Trump for yanking media out of WH pool but he tried to diminish Fox News access as president

Former President Barack Obama went viral last week for slamming President Trump’s recent moves to yank media outlets out of the White House pool, questioning what the reaction would’ve been if he had done that during his presidency.“Imagine if I had done any of this.Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from the White House press corps,” Obama lamented during remarks at Hamilton College in New York Thursday.

“You’re laughing, but this is what’s happening.”However, the Obama administration briefly attempted to limit Fox News’ press pool access early in his presidency.In 2009, the Obama administration tried to block Fox News’ pool team from interviewing his “executive-pay czar,” Kenneth Feinberg, despite giving other outlets in the pool access while openly questioning the network’s status as a news organization.“We see Fox right now as the source and the outlet for Republican Party talking points,” former White House Communications director Anita Dunn said at the time.“And it’s fine if that’s, you know, how they want to build their business model,” Dunn said.

“And we understand that.And it’s working for them and we understand that, as well.

But we don’t think we need to treat them as though they are a news organization the way other news organizations here are treated.”Ultimately, the other top TV networks protested, with CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC rejecting the White House’s plans to cut Fox News out of the interview with Feinberg.Obama brushed aside his administration’s attacks on Fox News at the time.“We’re going to take the media as it comes,” Obama told NBC News at the time.

“And if media is operating basically as a talk radio format, then that’s one thing, and if it’s operating as a news outlet, then that’s another.But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.”Despite having an acrimonious relationship with the network, Obama did not attempt to rescind Fox News’ press cre...