U.S. State Department rethinks plan not to take media on Asia trip

[webfact]

U.S. State Department rethinks plan not to take media on Asia trip

REUTERS

 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sits during a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department held out the possibility on Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson might take reporters with him to Asia after it initially broke with decades of tradition by telling the media he would not.

 

"We are still working out the logistics for this trip, so (we) cannot yet speak definitively as to whether we'll be able to accommodate any press on the Secretary's plane," State Department spokesman Mark Toner wrote in an email."Going forward, the State Department will do everything it can to accommodate a contingent of travelling media on board the Secretary's plane."  

 

The State Department told reporters earlier this week that Tillerson would not take any of them on a March 15-19 trip to Japan, South Korea and China, countries of strategic, military and economic interest to the United States.

 

Major news organizations complained, among them the BBC, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post and Reuters.

 

North Korea, which fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering both South Korea and Japan, is likely to be a key topic of Tillerson's trip.

 

Asked earlier this week why Tillerson was not taking media with him, a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters the plane "is too small to accommodate ... he carries a much smaller footprint in terms of personnel, and that's not just press."

 

Toner did not respond when asked whether Tillerson had tried to get a larger Air Force plane or how the department would respond to critics who described the plan as self-defeating. 

 

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other past State Department officials questioned Tillerson's plan, saying that by including reporters, the chief U.S. diplomat could make the administration's case and prevent other countries from dominating coverage of U.S. policy.

 

Albright, secretary of state under Democrat Bill Clinton, told MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" on Wednesday taking the news media demonstrates a U.S. commitment to a free press.

 

President Donald Trump, a Republican, has accused news outlets of "fake news" and called journalists "the enemy of the people."

 

Richard Boucher, a retired U.S. diplomat who served as State Department spokesman from 2000 to 2005 under Albright as well as Republicans Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, could not recall a time during his tenure when reporters did not fly on the plane.

 

Since becoming secretary of state on Feb. 1, Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil Corp chief executive, has travelled to Germany and Mexico, in both cases inviting fewer media than his predecessors for at least the last 50 years.

 

Veteran State Department television correspondent Marvin Kalb said William Rogers, Richard Nixon's first secretary of state, began taking press with him in 1969 and - with rare exceptions such as Henry Kissinger's secret trip to China in 1971 - that had remained the practice.

 

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by John Walcott and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-10

[boomerangutang]

         Tillerson doesn't like reporters, period.  At all his recent public meetings, he wouldn't even acknowledge questions directed at him.  He's doing what his boss, Trump, is doing:  hiding away from press corps as much as possible.  That's what people do, who are trying to hide illegal things, or avoid being honest.  Naughty little kids do it.  Trump's insiders do it. 

 

           How soon will Tillerson and Trump get going on the type of business they really want to do?  I'm referring to opening up the Arctic regions of northern Russia to drilling.  They'll have to wait a bit (because of the current whirlwind of bad press), but they'll get to it, unless Trump gets impeached soon.

[Ramen087]

49 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

         Tillerson doesn't like reporters, period.  At all his recent public meetings, he wouldn't even acknowledge questions directed at him.  He's doing what his boss, Trump, is doing:  hiding away from press corps as much as possible.  That's what people do, who are trying to hide illegal things, or avoid being honest.  Naughty little kids do it.  Trump's insiders do it. 

 

           How soon will Tillerson and Trump get going on the type of business they really want to do?  I'm referring to opening up the Arctic regions of northern Russia to drilling.  They'll have to wait a bit (because of the current whirlwind of bad press), but they'll get to it, unless Trump gets impeached soon.

 

[ilostmypassword]

If I were a reporter, I wouldn't bother to cover a State Dept. junket in this administration. It's clear that Tillerson is not going to even be consulted much about matters of state.

Edited March 10, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[otherstuff1957]

^ This!

 

Judging from how things have gone so far, Trump's foreign policy is going to come out of the White House, not the State Dept.  Tillerson knows that he is just a message boy and does not want to make public statements that might be contradicted by Trump at any time.

[Thaidream]

Both Tillerson and Trump are lightweights and know nothing about foreign policy or how the World works.  They don't want the press because the press will report what they see and not lie about it as the Trump Administration tries to allege.

The liars and spinners of fact are in the Trump Administration- there is no such thing as alternative facts-  there is either truth or not.

Trump will eventually head for the dustbin of history as the worst President in the history of America.

[sanukjim]

24 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Both Tillerson and Trump are lightweights and know nothing about foreign policy or how the World works.  They don't want the press because the press will report what they see and not lie about it as the Trump Administration tries to allege.

The liars and spinners of fact are in the Trump Administration- there is no such thing as alternative facts-  there is either truth or not.

Trump will eventually head for the dustbin of history as the worst President in the history of America.

Wow! I did not know that we had such a seemingly knowledgeable person here in Thailand with such insight on foreign policies among nations.Thaidream the liberals must be missing you there in Washington D.C....WOW

[Galactus]

like he does not want to take kids and mother in law to the holiday!

you dot take them so what? they take another place and be there!

current fascist US government has no respect to media.  i dont get surprised if they start to jail some reporters or newspaper staff, editors etc. soon.

[Grubster]

Why should they bring the press, the press is independent of government and I don't want to pay their way. Next thing you know they will fall down on the way to the toilet and sue us for several million.

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, sanukjim said:

Wow! I did not know that we had such a seemingly knowledgeable person here in Thailand with such insight on foreign policies among nations.Thaidream the liberals must be missing you there in Washington D.C....WOW

Trump has repeatedly revealed his ignorance of foreign affairs.  As for Tillerson, we know that has an extremely intimate knowledge of Russia and Saudia Arabia.

[Redline]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

Both Tillerson and Trump are lightweights and know nothing about foreign policy or how the World works.  They don't want the press because the press will report what they see and not lie about it as the Trump Administration tries to allege.

The liars and spinners of fact are in the Trump Administration- there is no such thing as alternative facts-  there is either truth or not.

Trump will eventually head for the dustbin of history as the worst President in the history of America.

Accurate and succinct

 

[Redline]

39 minutes ago, Grubster said:

Why should they bring the press, the press is independent of government and I don't want to pay their way. Next thing you know they will fall down on the way to the toilet and sue us for several million.

Did you read the article?  Watch out, the tiles are slippery here!

[Ramen087]

2 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Both Tillerson and Trump are lightweights and know nothing about foreign policy or how the World works.  They don't want the press because the press will report what they see and not lie about it as the Trump Administration tries to allege.

The liars and spinners of fact are in the Trump Administration- there is no such thing as alternative facts-  there is either truth or not.

Trump will eventually head for the dustbin of history as the worst President in the history of America.

You're dreaming.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

They can buy their own tickets to write their Fake News ;-)

[rijb]

3 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Both Tillerson and Trump are lightweights and know nothing about foreign policy or how the World works.  They don't want the press because the press will report what they see and not lie about it as the Trump Administration tries to allege.

The liars and spinners of fact are in the Trump Administration- there is no such thing as alternative facts-  there is either truth or not.

Trump will eventually head for the dustbin of history as the worst President in the history of America.

How the world works?  That's precious.  

 

It's a jungle out there.  Maybe it's time to shit can the rule book.

[whatawonderfulday]

One option would be him to recruit reporters only from Thailand on a temporary basis. As we all know that for the last few years they are so accustomed at only reporting what they are told to report, rather than the facts, it should suit Trumps team well.

[harrry]

I do not know why the news agencies just play the game....no access = no publication of the things the pollies want published...their media releases with things that will help their next campaign.

[boomerangutang]

2 hours ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

They can buy their own tickets to write their Fake News ;-)

Are you one of Trump's echoers who deem anything/anyone not praising Trump is 'fake news'?

 

                  It so happens that nearly every bit of research and revelations re; Trump and his insiders' connections to Russia are dredged up by mainstream and progressive media.  Republican Congresspeople and Fox News are always behind the curve - always responding to new tidbits.

 

             For example:  the biggest buzz right now is re; the computer in Trump Tower which has been communicating clandestinely (nearly 3000 times) with a computer in Alpha Bank in Moscow.   I've known about that for months, but mainstream media is acting like it's breaking news.   I even know things about that story that the media don't seem yet to know, and I'm just a guy who tunes into interesting non-conspiracy-theory news on the internet.  I've been mentioning that Alpha Bank/Trump Tower connection on ThaiVisa for months - yet it's just now breaking into the mainstream news stream.
 

              Here's what the media will be reporting in coming weeks:  That the owner of the Moscow-based bank is bosom buddies with Putin, and the Moscow based computer and the Trump Tower computer exchanged many emails exclusive of any other computers.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that one or more people in Trump Tower have been, for months in 2016, communicating with one or more agents in Moscow who are either tight with Putin, or Putin himself.

[boomerangutang]

2 hours ago, harrry said:

I do not know why the news agencies just play the game....no access = no publication of the things the pollies want published...their media releases with things that will help their next campaign.

         It's tempting for journalists to ignore people who are rude to them.  However, it's journalists' jobs to report things.  Often, it's uncomfortable or distasteful to dig up a story.  Trump and Spicer are making things difficult for journalists.   I admire journalists for hanging in there and asking tough questions, even when their q's are scoffed at.  And there's the endless lies and diversions from Trump and his people.   Journalists have to try and wade through all that BS.

 

           If journalists took the easy route, and ignored people who are rude to, and lying to them, then we, the general public, wouldn't be informed.   That's what Trump and Bannon want.  T and B and Tillerson and all of Trump's people would much rather have the general public simply lap up all their BS lies at face value. 

 

 

[harrry]

16 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

         It's tempting for journalists to ignore people who are rude to them.  However, it's journalists' jobs to report things.  Often, it's uncomfortable or distasteful to dig up a story.  Trump and Spicer are making things difficult for journalists.   I admire journalists for hanging in there and asking tough questions, even when their q's are scoffed at.  And there's the endless lies and diversions from Trump and his people.   Journalists have to try and wade through all that BS.

 

           If journalists took the easy route, and ignored people who are rude to, and lying to them, then we, the general public, wouldn't be informed.   That's what Trump and Bannon want.  T and B and Tillerson and all of Trump's people would much rather have the general public simply lap up all their BS lies at face value. 

 

 

I think you misunderstood a little.  I did not mean that the media should not report.  Just that they do not provide a free ride for all the good news stories that the pollies want published.  I it is news of course they should publish but opening a bridge in a pollitician;s electorate is hardly earth shattering, but is what is usually reported to help the pollie in return for his access for less desirable stories for him.

[Monomial]

11 hours ago, harrry said:

I do not know why the news agencies just play the game....no access = no publication of the things the pollies want published...their media releases with things that will help their next campaign.

 

This is the interesting point. I think Trump has to some degree decided he doesn't need the press. Previous presidents all believed as you have stated here...that the press are important to help get the message out.

 

I think Trump has looked at things and decided he can simply tweet his message to his followers. Why does he want to cozy up to the media? It will be an interesting experiment to see if he is right or wrong.

 

I will say this. If he turns out to be correct and manages to get by without the press, it will create a brand new dynamic for all future presidencies.  There is an argument that Trump is right. Mainstream media is dying. A whitehouse Youtube channel making its own propaganda could be every bit as informative as CNN. I don't think there is anyone who actually believes the media is unbiased anymore. The days of Walter Cronkite are long over. News today is about echoing the biases of your listeners. That is what people want to hear, and that is where the money is.

 

If Trump can influence the electorate without the media, then he is probably correct in his determination that it is time to cast them out.

 

Time will tell if this was a smart decision.

 

[boomerangutang]

This just in:    The Mexican Foreign Minister is visiting Wash D. C.   Guess who doesn't know?  Yup, the State Dept.  There is no meeting with State's Tillerson, and a State Dept spokesman was flummoxed when asked by a reporter about the visiting FM, saying, "We didn't know he was in town."

 

Yet another of the 1,000 examples of Trump and his people dropping balls. They had no prior government experience and it's showing.  Concurrently, the State Dept is understaffed right now.  Many workers have left (some in protest against Trump) and upper-level positions are not filled.

 

P.S. Trump's son-in-law Kushner met with the Mex FM, but not Tillerson.  

[Ramen087]

50 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

This just in:    The Mexican Foreign Minister is visiting Wash D. C.   Guess who doesn't know?  Yup, the State Dept.  There is no meeting with State's Tillerson, and a State Dept spokesman was flummoxed when asked by a reporter about the visiting FM, saying, "We didn't know he was in town."

 

Yet another of the 1,000 examples of Trump and his people dropping balls. They had no prior government experience and it's showing.  Concurrently, the State Dept is understaffed right now.  Many workers have left (some in protest against Trump) and upper-level positions are not filled.

 

P.S. Trump's son-in-law Kushner met with the Mex FM, but not Tillerson.  

You're serious hobby is turning into an unhealthy obsession...please solicit professional help.

[ilostmypassword]

 

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

This just in:    The Mexican Foreign Minister is visiting Wash D. C.   Guess who doesn't know?  Yup, the State Dept.  There is no meeting with State's Tillerson, and a State Dept spokesman was flummoxed when asked by a reporter about the visiting FM, saying, "We didn't know he was in town."

 

Yet another of the 1,000 examples of Trump and his people dropping balls. They had no prior government experience and it's showing.  Concurrently, the State Dept is understaffed right now.  Many workers have left (some in protest against Trump) and upper-level positions are not filled.

 

P.S. Trump's son-in-law Kushner met with the Mex FM, but not Tillerson.  

1 hour ago, Ramen087 said:

You're serious hobby is turning into an unhealthy obsession...please solicit professional help.

I guess you felt since you had no relevant rebuttal, your only recourse was to make it personal. Of course, you might have considered posting nothing at all.

[Ramen087]

13 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

 

I guess you felt since you had no relevant rebuttal, your only recourse was to make it personal. Of course, you might have considered posting nothing at all.

My comment was tongue in cheek.  You misinterpreted it.  I'll add a smiley to help you.  CRIKEY.

[boomerangutang]

1 hour ago, Ramen087 said:

You're serious hobby is turning into an unhealthy obsession...please solicit professional help.

I admit, I am obsessed.  I like my home country and don't like seeing it torn asunder.  Not only will Trump fall, but he'll create as much damage as possible while falling.  He relishes trashing as many people and entities as possible.  He's like the thieving culprit on a sailing ship who is told to walk the plank, but while going, he cripples all on board and takes down the ship as well.

[Ramen087]

16 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

I admit, I am obsessed.  I like my home country and don't like seeing it torn asunder.  Not only will Trump fall, but he'll create as much damage as possible while falling.  He relishes trashing as many people and entities as possible.  He's like the thieving culprit on a sailing ship who is told to walk the plank, but while going, he cripples all on board and takes down the ship as well.

as you wish, but my comment was tongue in cheek...I forgot the smiley...my bad

 

ps. like I have said, I cast a vote, but not for Ms. Clinton & not for Mr. Trump...

Edited March 11, 2017 by Ramen087

[jerojero]

Tillersons an idiot, just like his boss. Say one thing, do another. Then say something else. Then lie some more. Oh...sorry not lie, but mere fake facts.

[scorecard]

On 3/10/2017 at 9:31 AM, boomerangutang said:

         Tillerson doesn't like reporters, period.  At all his recent public meetings, he wouldn't even acknowledge questions directed at him.  He's doing what his boss, Trump, is doing:  hiding away from press corps as much as possible.  That's what people do, who are trying to hide illegal things, or avoid being honest.  Naughty little kids do it.  Trump's insiders do it. 

 

           How soon will Tillerson and Trump get going on the type of business they really want to do?  I'm referring to opening up the Arctic regions of northern Russia to drilling.  They'll have to wait a bit (because of the current whirlwind of bad press), but they'll get to it, unless Trump gets impeached soon.

 

Seems to me this is the thin edge of the dictator wedge. 

 

Americans (the champions of democracy) should be totally outraged and should scream in the streets. This should make yanks realize that most recent POTUS holders respected that a free press is absolute and is so necessary.

 

Seeing it again and again ''I own this show, I make the rules, no discussion allowed'.

 

Just waiting for the day he slips and says to a reporter (or others):  'Your fired!'

 

How come so many yanks can't see through this guy?

Edited March 11, 2017 by scorecard

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, jerojero said:

Tillersons an idiot, just like his boss. Say one thing, do another. Then say something else. Then lie some more. Oh...sorry not lie, but mere fake facts.

 

 

Well the POTUS seems to be the instigator of so much fake new, he should be publicly crowned 'Fake'.