In 2013, it came to light that the Justice Department had secretly obtained phone logs of Associated Press reporters, monitored the personal email account for FOX News reporter James Rosen in order to discover officials speaking to the press, and subpoenaed James Risen of The New York Times to testify against a former CIA employee accused of leaking classified information. Obama said in May 2013 that he was "troubled" at the possible overreach by the Justice Department and ordered the agency to review its guidelines on dealing with press investigations and quietly pushed the matter into the shadows.
The Obama White House has been accused of shielding the President from the press by not allowing the White House Press Corps sufficient access to photograph and question Obama during his official duties. Tightly controlled press conferences and staged photo-ops are now the norm.
New York Times Former Executive Editor Jill Abramson told Al Jazeera America in late January:
"I would say it is the most secretive White House that I have ever been involved in covering. The Obama administration has had seven criminal leak investigations, more than twice the number of any previous administration in our history. It's on a scale never seen before."The World Press Freedom Index is based on the answers to a questionnaire from partner nongovernmental organizations from each respective country.The questionnaire measures pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure.
The very institution that has supported and shielded the Obama Administration at all cost recognizes that the Freedom of the Press is being eroded, yet continue to remain intimidated and like the condemned, blindly carrying the ax to they own execution.
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