ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
NORRIS: This is All Things Considered from NPR News. I'm Michele Norris.
SIEGEL: And I'm Robert Siegel. President Obama has promised to run a transparent government, and media advocacy groups are hailing some early moves. Still, White House reporters say they're getting mixed signals. NPR's David Folkenflik has this story.
DAVID FOLKENFLIK: White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki asks for patience. It's early days, yet, but she says the marching orders are clear.
Ms. JENNIFER PSAKI (White House Spokeswoman): We want to make information available to the press and, of course, to the public - transcripts, information about meetings, and what our focuses are on a day-to-day basis and, you know, what we're doing to help govern.
FOLKENFLIK: They'll be communicating directly, too. There's already a new YouTube channel for Mr. Obama's video addresses. The administration has named a White House blogger, and Psaki says...
Ms. PSAKI: We are going to be launching a Web site where people can search by their home area, by their state, for projects and see how we're investing in their communities and how we're using the money in the stimulus package.
Mr. BILL NICHOLS (Managing Editor, "Politico"): In the communications aspect, I think it will be radically unlike any presidency that we've ever seen.
FOLKENFLIK: Bill Nichols is managing editor of the online and print publication, "Politico," and he says that's great, but...
Mr. NICHOLS: I just also want to be sure that the president and the people who work for him are being subject to people who are trained as journalists and who are asking the questions that perhaps, some of the people watching things from out there in the country are not able to ask.
FOLKENFLIK: And that's been a sore spot. When President Obama's errant oath of office was administered a second time by Chief Justice John Roberts, it was behind closed doors. Only a few reporters were whisked inside and no photographers or cameramen were allowed. Officials released stills taken by the White House staff photographer, but the three big wire services refused to distribute them. Veteran CBS White House reporter Bill Plante says news outlets needed to draw the line.
Mr. BILL PLANTE (CBS White House Reporter): Do you originate the material, or do you function as a transmission belt for handouts from the government? The whole idea of an independent press as guaranteed by the First Amendment is that it would serve as a watchdog and check on the power of government.
FOLKENFLIK: When President Obama dropped by the press room to schmooze last Thursday, he brushed off a "Politico" reporter who asked about a controversial nominee. And White House spokesman Robert Gibbs found himself defending the decision not to allow reporters to identify senior administration officials who had spoken to them, though, as "The Wall Street Journal's" Jonathan Weisman pointed out...
Mr. JONATHAN WEISMAN (Reporter, "The Wall Street Journal"): Could you use the name of the - one of the senior official's first name several times in this briefing?
FOLKENFLIK: Lucy Dalglish is giving the Obama camp the benefit of the doubt. She's the Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. During the transition, she asked Mr. Obama's aides to have him pledge publicly to run the most open White House in history and to reverse Bush-era policies that led Federal agencies to block the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
Ms. LUCY DALGLISH (Executive Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press): I was floored. His first full day in office, that's precisely what he did. So, we were walking around with pretty big grins on our faces.
FOLKENFLIK: There may be a culture clash here. Taken at its word, the Obama administration would appear to be following a "Google" model of openness - making information and communication available to anyone through a few keystrokes. In a conventional model of news gathering, think of what The Washington Post does. Journalists are supposed to be watchdogs and surrogates for the public, trained to see patterns in data and asking informed questions, though some critics argue there's more bark than bite. And Obama spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki says the president understands that model, too, even when he's schmoozing.
Ms. PSAKI: This is not his first trip to the rodeo. I mean, he spent two years on the campaign trail. It's not unexpected to him that, you know, members of the media are going to ask a question when he's around.
FOLKENFLIK: Yesterday, media pools following President Obama included photographers and cameramen. Journalists on the beat say they'll watch for other moves toward openness, as well. David Folkenflik, NPR News.