White House seeking press briefing questions in advance could ‘crush’ trust in media, ethics guru says
‘Perceptions are vital’ when establishing trust, University of North Carolina professor Lois Boynton said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An esteemed ethics guru says a new report that the Biden White House communications team has attempted to screen briefing questions for press secretary Jen Psaki could "crush" trust in the media if there is a perception the press is in cahoots with the Biden administration.
University of North Carolina associate professor Lois Boynton teaches journalism ethics and specializes in analyzing decisions made by public relations practitioners and journalists. She said it’s not unprecedented for government public affairs officers or company public relations practitioners to ask for questions up front, but that doesn’t mean the reporter must oblige.
"It’s also not unprecedented for the reporters to say ‘no,’" Boynton told Fox News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) ((AP Photo/Evan Vucci))
"What’s important for the [White House] or other practitioner to understand is where the news reporter -- and their inherent healthy skepticism -- is coming from. Namely, news outlets and their reporters don’t want the viewers/readers to perceive they are in cahoots with an organization," Boynton said. "Reporters are trying to maintain a distance from the people they cover; the level of independence has an impact on the trust that viewers [and] readers have in news outlets, and perceptions are vital."
But she also feels others factors could lead to a reporter refusing to provide questions in advance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"News outlets are in competition with one another. Reporters don’t want to reveal their questions if it may give away their story angle," Boynton said.
President Biden’s communications team chalked the Daily Beast report up to manufacturing drama out of efforts to make daily briefings more thorough.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Our goal is to make the daily briefing as useful and informative as possible for both reporters and the public. Part of meeting that objective means regularly engaging with the reporters who will be in the briefing room to understand how the White House can be most helpful in getting them the information they need. That two-way conversation is an important part of keeping the American people updated about how government is serving them," a White House spokesperson told Fox News.
Boynton said she understands where they’re coming from but feels it’s a slippery slope.
"It’s a delicate balancing act that requires transparency and time to establish trust. Even then, any perception -- and it may only be perception -- that a reporter and source are ‘working together’ can crush viewer-reader trust," Boynton said.
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"It’s unlikely that the communicators don’t know what the pressing issues are," she continued. "But, if the front-line communicator gets a question they’re not prepared to answer, the best response often is, ‘I will get back to you with that information,’ and then follow through."
Psaki has made a habit of telling reporters she will "circle back" on certain topics and questions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Kristina Biddle contributed to this report.