So, tomorrow evening is the big public event where John Kasich is holding a town hall to unveil his proposal for Ohio's next budget. You know, the one where he has to plug an $8 billion hole left by Ted Strickland? It's being streamed live over the internet, and media have been invited to cover it live.
Anyway, the administration wanted to give the press a little sneak preview, but wanted the video and audio of the event to be of the main event. Otherwise, why have the later event? So they told the press that the earlier afternoon "press only" event would be off limits to cameras.
And then they went nuts. Of course, this is manufactured outrage. The media is mostly liberal, and most will do anything to criticize this governor, so they took the chance. The "budget unveiling" is the evening town hall, yet they took the opportunity to scream about "transparency" when handed the chance to get some early information.
One lefty blog even revealed their duplicity in their own post.
"Yet again, we see the Kasich Administration demanding unprecedented restrictions on the press, but this time it isn’t the inauguration and its associated parties. This time it’s Kasich’s unveiling of the State budget tomorrow at 1 p.m.
"Kasich has approached the television stations in the State to ask them to broadcast live his budget town hall meeting tomorrow night, but he’s asking that the media cannot even bring a laptop computer in to write their stories during tomorrow’s earlier press conference."
Wait. Which is it? Is he trying to shut out the press? Or is he asking them to cover the event live?
Unprecedented restrictions? Like...inviting the press to cover the event live? And inviting citizens to ask questions at a public town hall?
Where's teh transparency King John!!11!
Personally, I don't agree with the administration's reaction. They changed their minds and are allowing the cameras in. I don't reward my children for throwing temper tantrums. I might even have canceled the 1PM event and just gone ahead with the public town hall without giving the press their preview.
But that's just me. Either way, it was a comical and sad display by the Ohio media today.
Bytor on Twitter
Wow. You really need to learn to think critically. You're arguments make no sense. Of COURSE, Kasich understood that the 1 p.m. event would be the main budget reveal. He didn't prohibit budget note taking.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a sneak preview. It was the release of the budget. This wasn't manufactured outrage. It was genuine.
The post which you refer, but apparently cannot comprehend, is pointing out that Kasich constantly dictates the terms of his own coverage. He won't let the media film their own event, but expects the media to give broadcast his own created made-for-television propaganda events crafted by his overpaid communication flaks who constantly get tripped up over transparency issues.
No Governor has ever demanded the terms Kasich did, and yes, Kasich isn't the first Governor to do a major statehouse budget event that wasn't designed for the media.
In case you didn't notice, Kasich was being criticized by all corners of the media.
Oh really? Now you know the governor's intentions and can read his mind?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure if Ted Strickland had held a public town hall to unveil his budget, you would have called it a "propaganda event", right?
I guess if any governor does it differently than Ted did it, it must be unprecedented and egregious!
Modern, I love it when you predict Kasich will be a one termer.
ReplyDeleteYour predictions worked so well in the last election.
Bytor- Way not to respond.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a sneak preview. It was a budget briefing. That's why notetaking and audio notetaking was permitted. Furthermore, it was an on the record briefing with no embargo on the information.
I don't know what Keeling e-mailed you, but it's tripe. I'm not reading the Governor's mind. I'm saying what you're claiming is factually disproven by the original terms of the coverage.
Anonymous- Your attack fails for one reason. I've never said what you claim I've said.
I guess it's YOU who presumes Kasich is going to be a one-termer.
Kasich is an opportunist and a career politician. Even his brief stint in the private sector was with an eye to beef up his resume for an eventual run. He'll run again in the hope that by 2016 he can run for President or get the VP nod.