Press, public need to keep Obama open
[Commentary] After running a campaign with Bush-like discipline in press relations, President Barack Obama promised a "new standard of openness" on his first day in office. His administration is rolling out regulations to ensure a more transparent government. His aides have been addressing citizens online, bypassing reporters to reach the public directly. All this makes the Washington press corps, already struggling with low approval ratings and low profits, potentially less relevant. If Obama's administration operates anything like his campaign, it will both sideline and compete with the media as a news source. Transparency reform and government information, however, are no substitutes for journalistic access and original reporting. In fact, the administration's new openness might even function as little more than another unfiltered route to disseminate its view. If the information is offered to supplant independent reporting — as in the photo disputes — and only flows in one direction, then the government simply amplifies its already sizable megaphone. A louder government with less journalism does not enrich our democratic process. The key is to couple government transparency with meaningful interaction. That means open, accountable engagement with the press and the public.