Panel Explores Relationship of Press, President

What relationship should the press have with the presidency?

It’s an issue that troubled even Thomas Jefferson and is, judging by comments from a panel of well-known journalists and politicians at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Thursday, one that continues to confound the American public.

“A good question to ask is whether there would be a federal government--or a country, for that matter--if the founding fathers had Sam Donaldson hammering on the door demanding to know what was going on,” said Tom Brokaw, NBC News managing editor and anchor. “It’s a complex question: How can we retain the special place of the presidency and the press in this country?”

Several hundred area residents crowded into the library’s auditorium to listen as a panel of journalists--including Brokaw, Wall Street Journal editor Robert Bartley and Los Angeles Times television critic Howard Rosenberg--bat around the issue with former presidential hopefuls Michael Dukakis and Alan Keyes.

Sponsored by the library’s Center for Public Affairs, the forum explored the nebulous issue surrounding the bittersweet relationship between journalists and the president.

Keyes, host of a nationally syndicated radio program and 1996 Republican presidential candidate, said the press has a right to put the president under a microscope to ensure against abuse.

“The presidency is not a job, it’s a branch of government, and he represents a power of government that, left to its own devices, is inherently abusive,” he said. “Once a person is elected as president, that person, in a sense, becomes public property.”

Dukakis, however, contended that presidents are human and that they cannot possibly perform to the best of their ability if they are constantly hounded by a rabid press corps.

“People used to criticize Ronald Reagan for taking Wednesday afternoons off,” he said. “But I thought that was one of the best things he ever did. . . . There needs to be a time when the press gets out of his face.”

The program, which had been scheduled for months, took on added significance because of the ongoing controversy surrounding President Clinton’s relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Some, like Rosenberg, Dukakis and Brokaw, said the press should devote more attention to issues like campaign finance reform and health care, while others, like Keyes, said it’s time to turn up the heat.

“We talk about the president having certain leadership qualities, and leadership depends on character,” Keyes said. “Here we’ve got a 21-year-old intern who didn’t really have any role or any importance in the White House, but she was able to see the president more than many of his Cabinet secretaries. . . . Now you tell me there’s not more to that story.”

While the discussion did not reach any clear-cut answers, it did resonate with many of the audience members, who often cheered and jeered the panelists.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that there’s a problem and that it needs to be fixed,” said Roberta Leaves. “I don’t think there’s any reason why the president and reporters can’t work better together.”

Dana Evans echoed that sentiment, saying only the public is harmed by the conflict.

“You know the president and the press are supposed to be here for us and all they do is squabble,” she said. “It’s gotten to a point where I don’t even listen to anyone anymore.”

Brokaw, who also gave the program’s keynote address, spoke of a formula for bridging the gap between the president and the press.

He said that if he were president, he would set aside time each week to sit informally with the press to talk candidly about policy, giving reporters a window inside the president’s mind and giving both an opportunity to build trust.

Audience member John Sample approved of the idea.

“I like what Mr. Brokaw said and I hope that the next president does that,” he said. “We deserve that.”