A News Conference? Or A Multi-Panel Interview

 

March 25, 2021 - A date where President Joe Biden broke a record. The 64th day of being president with no press conferences. 

It was hardly a press briefing. It was more a brief press statement. With lots of pages of notes. But in another historic first, it was the president who had the notes, not the intrepid reporters.

According to The Hill, here are the news organizations that got to ask a question or two. 

Zeke Miller, Associated Press (president of the White House Correspondents Association)

One question and one follow-up question. 

Yamiche Alcindor, PBS NewsHour.

One question and one follow-up question. 

Seung Min Kim, The Washington Post  - One question.

Cecilia Vega, ABC

One question, two follow-up questions.

Ken Thomas, The Wall Street Journal.

One question, one follow-up question.

Kristen Welker, NBC

One question, five follow-up questions.

Nancy Cordes, CBS

One question, three follow-up questions.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN 

One question, four follow-up questions.

Justin Sink, Bloomberg

Janet Rodriguez, Univision

One question, two follow-up questions.

The most notable news organizations that the President didn't take to not call on included The New York Times and Fox News.

When they come for me, they may come for you

   

Martin Niemöller came up with how the lack of adherence to standards can seem fine when it happens to somebody else. 

But when happens when they come for you?

So, updated for modern times, we might see it more like this:

 First they came for Twitter accounts, and I did not speak out

            —because I didn’t use Twitter.

 

    Then they came for Facebook users, and I did not speak out

— because I wasn’t a Facebook user..

 

    Then they came for the YouTubers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a YouTuber.

 

    Then they came for me

 —and there was no one left to speak for me.

The original went something like:

First they came for Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me