Did Obama's White House set up the HuffingtonPost Iran question?

Something of an inside baseball media controversy this week growing out of the president's news conference and the way he set up one particular question on Iran.

As you can see from the news conference transcript (scroll down for the excerpt), the president clearly had advance knowledge that Nico Pitney, national editor of HuffingtonPost, was present and had a question concerning Iran.

The White House press corps still considers itself the elite of the Washington media, even if the very internet savvy Obama White House develops its own independent means of spreading news without the filter of highly-paid media reps.

So the president going out of his way to call on Pitney, jumping the established line, so to speak, caused all kinds of catty comments and worse from other DC media types, implying that the website got special treatment.

(Despite having been the online source of that damaging small towns clinging to their religion and guns story out of a San Francisco fundraiser during the Democratic primaries.)

The answer, of course, is HuffPo did get special treatment. For one thing it showed initiative in seeking input from Iranians.

But the treatment came only, Pitney explains in the C-SPAN video below, because the president's vigilant online people discovered he was soliciting questions online and Twitter to ask Obama from within Iran during the ongoing protests.

Pitney claims the White House did not know the question in advance, but indicated its willingness to call on him. Unbeknownst to many during the news conference, the White House was providing simultaneous Arabic and Farsi translations of the president's remarks on its website.

So having an apparent question from within Iran was something of a presidential press conference producer's dream for that distant foreign audience where, perhaps by coincidence, it was only about 9 p.m. Tuesday's midday news conference, the president's fourth, was the first not in prime time, which would have normally been the middle of the night in the Mideast.

Managing news conference questions, of course, goes on all the time. Obama uses an advance list of reporters to call. George W. Bush used to call on reporters seemingly randomly. But during Ari Fleischer's days as press secretary, he would seat the Do Not Call On reporters in one section and alert the president in advance not to go there.

During the fall of 2007 run-up to the primaries there was a major flap when an Iowa college student revealed she'd been coached by a Hillary Clinton staffer to ask a particular question that, not surprisingly, Clinton was well prepared for.

The New York senator vowed not to do it again as other candidates said they would never do such a thing. Perhaps the candidates would never arrange such a thing, but every campaign staff routinely plants questions with supporters who are only too happy to go on camera addressing the candidate and not eager for anyone to know it wasn't really their query.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Twitter in Iran: A partner in protest?

Twitter is the bane of the print generation, a tribute to cultural self-absorption that New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd calls "a toy for bored celebrities and high-school girls." As she put it in a recent interview with Twitter's two founders, "I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account."

Now Twitter is being credited with helping protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities demonstrate in the streets against the flawed election that kept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. Even Hillary Clinton's State Department asked Twitter not to shut down for routine maintenance to avoid disrupting messages.

President Obama is walking a tightrope on Iran  -- wanting to support democracy without handing the real power in Iran -- the ayatollahs -- a chance to brand the protests as the work of American agitators. In remarks he made with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak at his side the other day, you can hear the conflict in his position:

It's not productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, to be seen as meddling -- the U.S. president meddling in Iranian elections. What I will repeat and what I said yesterday is that when I see violence directed at peaceful protesters, when I see peaceful dissent being suppressed, wherever that takes place, it is of concern to me and it's of concern to the American people.

That is not how governments should interact with their people. And my hope is, is that the Iranian people will make the right steps in order for them to be able to express their voices, to....

Twitter creator Jack Dorsey visits D.C. to help twerps with tweets

 

Politicians aren't always on the cutting edge, to put it mildly. But despite technological hurdles that have long plagued government officials, Twitter is beginning to catch on in Washington, D.C.

Twitter chairman and creator Jack Dorsey was in the nation's capital recently to consult officials at the White House, State Department, Department of Energy and Congress on how to best engage constituents in 140 characters or less.

It's already begun to catch on in the White House and Congress, with about one-third of Congress members on Twitter, according to Tweet Congress. Now, other government agencies are pondering ways to use it. (For example, did you know the FBI is on Twitter?)

The Department of Energy plans to create an account that twitters brief tips on how to conserve energy, Dorsey said over lunch at an outdoor cafe a block from the White House.

The government is certainly interested in Twitter, but many officials are still hesitant to dive in, Dorsey said.

"It is a simple thing, but it's still so hard to get into," he said. "They're concerned with the best way to use the medium, with how much is too much, how best to utilize the followers that they do have."

Twitter, Dorsey says, is simply an evolution of already existent technologies. He places it along the same lines as ....

Funny headline goes here on Utah's Mark Shurtleff Twitter gaffe

Notes for wed morn ticket item: First, talk about twitter exploding all over. millions now--oprah, sarahp, bo. Called tweets. Now even pols want to look hip and cool and use it. But ez make misteaks, Tweet something to entire world when you don't wanna or think you're only DMing someone. Like oops!

How embarrassing that'd be. etc etc.

Then into how Utah attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, on some kinda trade mission to Israel (What does a state atty gen trade with Israel anyway -- one of their laws for one of ours?)

And how he musta heard on Twitter that fellow Repub, Tim Bridgewater, is launching primary run vs that old GOP DC guy, Bob Bennett, who hasn't been in Senate as long as Joe Biden. Still pretty long time.

Bridgewater announces his bid tuesday via Twitter, like Dem Gavin Newsom for Calif gov while back. 

So Shurtleff (almost 52) musta gotten worried & starts Direct Messaging a pal about jumping into the repub primary too, how he's lined up buncha conservs and it's "Time to rock and roll!"

Except OMG! he wasn't Direct Messaging his pal.

Nope. He was sending everything to everybody on his list of followers, more than 1,600 people.

And they start sending all his msgs all over and others did too. And oh boy what an embarrassing mess that'd be if you put out something priv that wasn't ready 4 public posting. Laugh a lot @ that. Geez, can u imagine? Bonehead move.

Insert link here to Salt Lake Tribune story.

-- Andrew Malcolm byline goes here

Then here put that really cool promo thingy to sign up for The Ticket's Twitter account like everyone who's anyone is doing. Or follow   @latimestot

For God's sakes don't post this thing until its ridy, cleand up & stuf!!!

oh And get ap pic of shurtleff maybe smiling like good sport

On her new Twitter page, Sarah Palin offers a more personal look

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may not have been able to name a news publication she reads in last year's interview with Katie Couric during her unsuccessful bid as the Republican nominee for vice president.

But now we know that Sen. John McCain's 2008 running mate reads Newsweek -- at least in less-than-140-character doses on her Twitter page. Also, the Juneau Empire, the Weekly Standard, Meet the Press, blogs from Politico and Karl Rove, several prominent Republican politicians and Mark Begich, Alaska's new Democratic senator.

Also on the list of the 42 feeds she follows on her new Twitter account as of late last night are Fox News, CNN's Breaking News, the Drudge Report, Bill O'Reilly, an apparent Sean Hannity imposter (the real one is over here, Gov), George Stephanopoulos and, oh yeah, John McCain.

Whoops, looks like McCain hasn't returned the following.

But then during the campaign he was famous for professing ignorance of online and communications gadgets. His running mate, however, was regularly multi-tasking, working her twin BlackBerrys (state equipment is prohibited from political use), even while tending to baby son Trig (see photo above).

Yesterday, The Ticket reported here that Palin has signed a book contract with HarperCollins for a memoir to draw from her personal journals for publication in spring of 2010, when she'll presumably be running for re-election as Alaska's chief executive.

In the two weeks since she started twittering, Palin is, however, using the service exclusively as a one-way medium. She hasn't engaged in public conversation with any of her more than 19,000 followers.

But she does provide a more personal window into her daily life, which is sort of what Twitter is all about anyway.

Oh, and for the record, the @AKGovSarahPalin Twitter account does indeed belong to Palin, wrote spokesman William McAllister. While Palin's staff oversees account maintenance, the messages are hers, McAllister e-mails.

-- Mark Milian

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Photo credit: Associated Press (Palin campaigning in September works her 2 BlackBerrys while holding son Trig); Getty Images (bottom).

Borat say is liking Tweet Obama, the Biden, Pamela Anderson, no gypsies

He's baaack, Borat is.

Is Tweeting.

And is liking.

The very much, thank you.

The unflummoxed outrageous foreigner from Kazakhstan who buffooned his ill-mannered way across the whole of U.S. and A. now has the Twitter account in different name. And is liking so much.

BarackBorat say: "You elect me president. I will have sexy times in White House, defeat gypsies and drink their tears. Is niiice."

"Thank you!" he tells another Twitterer, "I am Barack Borat. I like taxes, ping-pong, television remote control and sexy times!"

"I take the Biden to lunch today," he say. "We find plastic bib in WH kitchen, left over from Dan Quayle. Is niiice."

"Pamela Anderson teach me handling press talking-heads. If you're attractive on outside, we forgive irritating core. High-five!"

Not all the Borat for everyone. But he give the funny most times. Is missing goat entrails.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Borat say be clicking here for the Ticket Twitter alerts. Or be following   @latimestot  High five!

Silly John Kerry worried about online journalism, 70 million bloggers

With several print newspapers already dead in recent months, others failing or under financial threat and a crass crowd of brash, disrespectful online journalists attracting millions of readers, the jut-jawed senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, is worried about the future of said journalism.

Why is it his business, some might ask. 

Well, for one thing, as a youngster Kerry delivered the Washington Star. That newspaper died. As an adult Democratic candidate for president five years ago, Kerry got some rough treatment from opponents and journalists both on- and offline. His campaign died. Does anyone see a pattern here?

But the contemporary reason for Kerry's journalism concern is that he chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet (SCSOCTATI). Which is probably a big deal somewhere. (See below Kerry talking with an apparent politics blogger.)

Except for celebrity nudity and public confessions of marital infidelity by elected people, few things are guaranteed to attract media attention more than discussions about itself. It's self-fulfilling. The press corps must be important if it's getting so much coverage from itself.

Especially in Washington, where the press seems to banquet itself quite regularly. Oh, look, there's another one this weekend! Watch for Sarah Palin. (Or Todd.)

So Kerry had a SCSOCTATI hearing this week.

Truth be told, congressional hearings often have less to do with anyone hearing anything and more to do with people talking. And talking. And talking.

As often happens, what anyone hears is actually written down long before it's said to be heard. People could save a lot of time by not saying all these words out loud; just e-mail them around for easier deletion.

Kerry's staff wrote up a bunch of words about journalism for him to be heard saying.

You'll never see any of these words in an actual newspaper these days because they take up way too much space that could be filled with lucrative advertisements, if they weren't disappearing too.

But because we don't have to buy newsprint here on The Ticket, we can waste all the space we want on staff-written words that come out of a senator's mouth. So we're publishing the entire Kerry statement below.

In short, here's what Kerry says:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah time we examine the future of journalism in the digital Information Age blah blah and what it means to our Republic and to our democracy.

Blah blah blah blah blah newspapers blah entertained us; they enraged us, but always, they have informed us.

Blah blah blah to keep the Boston Globe from closing. Blah blah The New York Times bought the Boston Globe for $1.1 billion in 1993, but the value of all Times stock is less than $800 million now. Blah blah blah whistling past the graveyard blah blah the path that lies ahead for news delivery, and how during a time of great creative destruction within the market for news delivery we might preserve the core societal function that is served by an independent and diverse news media.

Blah blah paper and ink have become obsolete blah blah the important question of whether....

Obama's White House creates profiles on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace

The White House is looking for a warm welcome to the social Web with today's launch of three key profiles on popular social networks Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

The profiles have quickly accumulated a large following:

On Facebook, it has more than 48,000 fans.

On Twitter, more than 12,000 followers.

And on MySpace, more than 7,000 "friends" -- the majority of whom apparently were not informed that the rest of the U.S. has moved on to one of the former two websites.

Our friends at the Swamp blog had some particularly snarky responses to the White House's decision to participate in the "2005's coolest Web-site," as they called it.

At least its MySpace page doesn't suffer from the visually torturing (animated backgrounds) and ear-bleeding (techno music that loads when the page does) nuances of the website. But judging by ...

Barack Obama news conference -- the full transcript

(UPDATE: A statement by the Republican National Committee chairman is added at the end.)

Following is the transcript of President Barack Obama's third national news conference, April 29, 2009:

President Obama: Before we begin tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a few brief updates on some of the challenges we're dealing with right now.

First, we are continuing to closely monitor the emergency cases of the H1N1 flu virus throughout the United States. As I said this morning, this is obviously a very serious situation, and every American should know that their entire government is taking the utmost precautions and preparations.

Our public health officials have recommended that schools with confirmed or suspected cases of this flu strongly consider temporarily closing. And if more schools are forced to close, we've recommended that both parents and businesses think about contingency plans if their children do have to stay home.

I've requested an immediate $1.5 billion in emergency funding from Congress to support our ability to monitor and track this virus and to build our supply of antiviral drugs and other equipment. And we will also ensure that those materials get to where they need to be as quickly as possible.

And, finally, I've asked every American to take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick; and keep your children home from school if they're sick.

We'll continue to provide regular updates to the American people as we receive more information. And everyone should rest assured that this government is prepared to do whatever it takes to control the impact of this virus.

The second thing I'd like to mention is how gratified I am that the House and the Senate passed a....

Obama celebrates 100 days by talking more in a news conference

So the 100 days have finally gotten here and the hoopla seems to be settling down to one last blast at a televised news conference that begins at 5 p.m. Los Angeles time, 8 p.m. for those of you sweating in the Eastern time zone. That's midnight GMT for our thousands of overseas reader.

Expect the same themes that President Obama laid out this morning at his town hall-style session in suburban St. Louis: The Obama administration inherited numerous problems from the Bush administration and is working very hard, with some success, to solve those difficulties in the economy and Iraq. The focus will be on the middle class, more spending for education, energy and healthcare and protecting people with sensible regulation of Wall Street. He will again warn about swine flu, using its formal name, H1N1, to avoid pushing pork prices down further.

Politically, Obama is expected to argue that we are all in this together and that he cannot do it alone and that his administration is fulfilling the promises he made during the more than two years of the presidential campaign.

Most American political experts cite FDR’s hundred days as the model for this type of accounting. That will give comfort to all and is a far cry from the 19th century version of 100 days: Napoleon’s flight from Elba to the defeat at Waterloo.

Now I'm off to tweet the news conference. Follow me on Twitter @LATimesmuskal

-- Michael Muskal

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