Pre-selected reporter from Ebony Magazine asks Obama about Imaginary Tent Cities Springing Up All Over America

This is what happens when Obama’s strategy of reaching out to  liberal commentators, local reporters and ethnic media plays itself out.

Kevin Chappell from Ebony Magazine who was pre-selected to ask Barack Obama a question during Obama’s second press conference decided to ask Obama about “tent cities sprouting up all over the country” and children who sleep “in tents and under bridges” all over the country.

I have done my best to research this tent city phenomenom, but I am yet to find any evidence that “tent cities are springing up” all over the country in greater numbers than they have in the past.

As Gateway Pundit puts it:

Now we know why president’s don’t make it a habit to call on celebrity and entertainment mags during press conferences.

Although, Chappell really didn’t do much worse than the the Obama-loving mainstream reporters.

Just in case you think it’s mere coincidence that a reporter from Ebony was called on, here’s an article from Politico:

At a time when his Washington honeymoon is turning into a hazing, President Barack Obama and his team are launched on a strategy to sail above the traditional White House press corps by reaching out to liberal commentators, local reporters and ethnic media.

But those moves are only part of a much larger strategy aimed at communicating directly with audiences the White House believes are more sympathetic to the president’s agenda — and one in which much of the work is being done by Obama’s top advisers.

Guess how many reporters from major newspapers got to ask questions? Politico

During President Obama’s second East Room news conference, he took questions from 13 reporters over about an hour — that’s the same as during his first presser on Feb. 9.

 Obama skipped over the nation’s top newspapers. Indeed, there were no questions from the NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. That might not sit well with the already insecure newspaper industry.

In exchange, Obama opened things up to a wider variety of outlets, including Spanish-language television, a military news outlet, and black-oriented media. It’s another example of the White House going over the typical Washington press corps “filter.”

Here’s the list of reporters in order: Jennifer Loven (AP), Chuck Todd (NBC), Jake Tapper (ABC), Chip Reid (CBS), Lourdes Meluza (Univision), Kevin Baron (Stars and Stripes), Ed Henry (CNN), Major Garrett (Fox News), Mike Allen (POLITICO), Kevin Chappell (Ebony), Ann Compton (ABC Radio), Jon Ward (Washington Times) and Stephen Collinson (AFP). 

Last but not least, here’s the real star of tonight’s show, TOTUS.

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