Try as he might, President Obama has not succeeded in getting the national media to turn its focus back to his domestic agenda and away from his rapidly souring relationship with freshly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obama Thursday spotlighted his effort to curb global warming through an executive order to cut greenhouse gas emissions by federal agencies. He spoke on climate change at the Department of Energy. He also welcomed Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla to the White House, as the couple were on a four-day cultural tour of the United States.
But throughout the day, reporters ignored Obama’s agenda in order to focus on whether he had called to congratulate Netanyahu on his recent election victory. (The White House did confirm late Thursday that Obama did call Netanyahu.) Media attention also centered on U.S. negotiations with Iran over the country’s nuclear development program. Climate change and the British royal couple barely came up — and the president’s attempt to stay on message resulted in a brief lecture on journalistic priorities from an Associated Press reporter.
At the end of Obama’s remarks at the Department of Energy, a reporter yelled out to ask if there has been “progress” on the Iran negotiations, a subject that has created divisions between the administration and Netanyahu.
“I’m sorry,” Obama said. “We’re talking about energy. It’s a great story. So, hopefully you’ll focus on it.”
“We gotta try, sir,” said Associated Press reporter Mark Smith.
“This is a really important story,” Obama replied to laughter.
“And there are often more than one at a time, sir,” said Smith, gamely.
“Yeah, but this one really matters,” Obama said.
Later in the day when Obama welcomed Prince Charles and Camilla to the White House, reporters were only permitted to see the encounter for two minutes. Jeff Mason, a reporter for Reuters, took the opportunity to ask if Obama had called Netanyahu yet to congratulate him.
“Really, Jeff?” Obama said with a smile.
Obama’s efforts on climate change were almost entirely absent from Friday’s national news front pages, which instead featured prominent stories on U.S. relations with Israel and Netanyahu.
“Israeli leader backs off stand on 2-state option, White House all but ignores latest views of Netanyahu,” read one New York Times front-page story related to Netanyahu’s apparent reversal of pre-election comments regarding a Palestinian state. Another A1 Times story examined Netanyahu’s re-election as it impacts former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is a likely Democratic candidate for president.
“Netanyahu backtracks on election eve pledge, tactics prompt U.S. to weigh shift in its approach to Israel,” read the Washington Post’s front-page story.
The Wall Street Journal’s headline: “Netanyahu reverses on statehood again.”
“Israeli leader backs off hardline rhetoric, Netanyahu also extends olive branch to Obama,” read USA Today’s.
The only front-page mention of Obama’s climate change initiative was a blurb on the bottom left corner of the Washington Post.
Though the U.S. national media often delight in covering U.S. visits by the United Kingdom’s royal family, there were no front-page reports about Prince Charles and Camilla’s meeting with Obama.
