Controlling the press

David Corn raises yet another reason that the media should get over its love affair with John McCain: his campaign is apparently screening questions from reporters on conference calls.

While the Obama and Clinton campaigns took questions for reporters on a first-come, first-served basis, John McCain's does not:

When a reporter calls in for a conference call, he or she is asked by an operator to provide his or her name and media outlet. Then when it comes time for questions, there is a long pause--long enough for someone in the campaign to select whom should be called on. This has caused several journalists who have participated in these calls to wonder: is the McCain campaign screening reporters, and, if so, on what basis? A reporter for a progressive media outlet says that he has tried at least half a dozen times to ask a question on a McCain conference call and has had never been selected.

The same has happened to me. No matter how quickly I press *1, I'm never afforded the opportunity to pose a question.

Corn says he has directly asked McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker as well as the main press office to inquire about this, but has not received a reply.

So much for straight talk.