Death of the press conference?
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This is -- or was -- a big anniversary in the history of political journalism. It was 100 years ago today that the first presidential news conference was held.
There's a fair chance you'll be able to tell your grandchildren you remember the very last one ever held because the era of press conferences by presidents is drawing to a close, Bill Plante of CBS News seems to suggest.
The suggestion is in the age of Twitter, presidents don't need news conferences anymore to get their message out, an assertion, which -- in itself -- reveals the opposite poles of press and president. A press conference isn't about getting a message out. A press conference is about answering tough questions that people without access to a president can't ask, but to whom answers are owed.
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But, for the record, the White House took another step forward in the "straight to the people" strategy of recent times today, unveiling the audio series, "Being Biden."
Episode One: This picture:
The presentation isn't really about the picture at all, as it turns out. It's about the push for gun control.
There were no follow-up questions.
