President Obama praised members of the White House press corps on Wednesday during the final press conference of his presidency, encouraging reporters to pursue stories about the incoming Trump administration with vigor.
“My hope is that you will continue with the same tenacity that you showed us, to do the hard work of getting to the bottom of stories and getting them right and push those of us in power to be the best version of ourselves,” Obama said.
The president thanked reporters for their impartiality during his two terms in office, noting that while he did not agree with every story, he appreciated the fairness of coverage about him.
“You’re not supposed to be sycophants, you’re supposed to be skeptics,” Obama said.
Many conservatives and supporters of President-elect Trump believe the press has been far too easy on Obama. Meantime, some White House reporters have complained that Obama press aides have regularly attempted to intimidate them out of doing stories.
Under Obama, the Justice Department wiretapped reporters from the Associated Press and intercepted emails from a Fox News reporter. Obama’s agencies also squelched more Freedom of Information Act requests than previous administrations.
The president touted the importance of a free press in upholding the democratic system.
“It doesn’t work if we don’t have a well-informed citizenry,” Obama said. “Having you in this building has made this place work better,” he added.
President-elect Trump’s transition team had made waves days earlier by hinting that it was considering a change of venue for the daily press briefings and removing the press from the West Wing. Instead of holding briefings in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House, transition officials had weighed the possibility of moving the briefing to nearby executive office space, noting the current arrangement allows just 49 reporters to have seats.
Sean Spicer, incoming White House press secretary, had said discussions about moving the briefings arose from the realization that far more than 49 reporters would want to cover the Trump administration regularly.
But the White House Correspondents Association pushed back forcefully, arguing reporters’ proximity to senior staff offices in the West Wing has been a key component of transparency efforts.
Trump said Wednesday that he had instructed his team to scrap the idea of moving the briefings after witnessing reporters’ reactions to the proposal.
Beyond the dust-up over briefings, journalists have complained about a lack of access and communication with the Trump transition team.
Trump officials, meanwhile, have pointed to a rise in partisan coverage when explaining their reluctance to accommodate members of the traditional press corps.
