time to stand up and be counted

It's gut check time.

Which side are you on?

The side of truth, justice, and the American way, or, the side the opts for political theater at the expense of content and depth.

Of course, it's not that easy, but it sure as hell should be.

Check out the issue that fellow goateed newsie Chuck Todd has made of the Obama White House restricting press access to individuals who served as props at a press conference today.

Share what you think. Is Todd on to something? Would the work of the White House press corps be better if they were less penned in? Did you know that they already have more access in the White House under Obama than under Bush, Clinton, or other Presidents? Do you think that access will last? Do you even care, or is this just inside baseball for journalism junkies?

Here's the comment from TVNewser:

Todd Takes on White House Over Press Access
NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd says he may be "one of the newbies," but writes on the First Read msnbc.com blog today about the press access restrictions made by the White House. "Nothing is more frustrating than covering an actual event here at the White House if you at all believe in anything remotely having to do with the First Amendment," he writes.
Todd's beef today involves a speech by President Barack Obama to a group of CEOs at the White House. After the speech, the press was not allowed to talk to any of the CEOs. "Once the CEOs were clear and escorted downstairs, then we were let out of our East Room pen," writes Todd.
The comments section of the post brought strong debate from both sides, and Todd added an update. "Beat us up all you want, but this isn't about us whining, it's about us not even being able to do the job you want us to do and that is be the people's questioner here," he writes.