Do Presidential Press Briefings Matter Anymore?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes

Reporters at the ready at a press briefing. (Photo courtesy US Dept. of State.)

By William S. Bike

With news bombarding both the public and reporters from more sources than ever, do press briefings by the president’s press secretary matter anymore? President Donald Trump didn’t think they did, so he pretty much eliminated them. President Joe Biden is old school, so he reinstated them. Which also has reinstated the sight of press secretaries dancing around reporters’ questions, or outright ignoring them.

While it’s true that the president’s press secretary will not always answer all questions, she or he does answer some, so press briefings give reporters some access and information that they may not otherwise have. There’s also always the possibility of a question eliciting a surprise answer or response; President Gerald Ford’s press secretary Jerald terHorst resigned rather than face the wrath of the media after Ford’s surprise pardon of Richard Nixon.

Such briefings also serve to alert the media and public to what issues the White House considers important, which may not be the issues the media thinks is important. Sometimes the briefings reveal a White House not as prepared as it should be or a White House whose focus is misguided, such as in the late 1990s when reporters wanted to ask about Monica Lewinsky and…