Ana Marie Cox wrote this as part of a Spring Cleaning series at the WaPo (institutions that could be thrown out):
It’s not that the reporters covering the president are bad at their jobs. Most are experienced journalists at the top of their game — and they’re wasted at the White House, where scoops are doled out, not uncovered. The day of a typical White House correspondent consists, literally, of waiting to be told things. Legitimate security concerns and a tightly scripted political world keep the presidential press corps physically corralled and informationally hostage.
She may have a serious point here. The very high value reporters that are assigned to the WH reflects a (perhaps) anachronistic prestige of covering the WH AND the need of news organizations to be seen as giving the WH very high profile coverage. The later being more of a ratings argument, I think.
What do you think? Is the WH Press Corps (as it is currently staffed) a tradition ready to be ditched?