- National Journalism Center intern Courtney Nolan

Is the press ready to give Obama a ‘time out’ after being their media darling for almost two years? According to Byron York of the Washington Examiner , the press is now getting a “cold shoulder from Obama.” Is this a hint at trouble in paradise?        

In 2008, The Washington Times published an article stating that the press was experiencing something extremely different from previous administrations. Obama had answered 22 questions in 22 days after his win. Compared to George W. Bush’s silence, this was a reporter’s dream come true.

For months before and after his victory, the mainstream media gushed over the man who promised change. Be careful what you wish for. Change is exactly what the press received, and this change is leaving the press, and the country, hope-less.

Obama’s backbone has been the media. Hotair.com  goes so far as to call the relationship between the President and his press the ‘definition of co-dependency’; that they both need each other to work effectively. In his first year, Obama held 12 formal press conferences and gave 161 interviews, handing hundreds of stories to his devoted media on a silver platter.

But just a few days ago when Obama answered questions when the President of Mexico was in town, he answered only two questions, taking more than 10 minutes on each inquiry.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs says that this administration has dealt with ‘dramatic overexposure.’ First, he wants, no, need attention. Now, it’s too much? You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Mr. President.

It has been, according to the Examiner, 307 days since the President’s last press conference—a break far longer than in previous administrations. Reporters are becoming increasingly frustrated at the change in the flow of information from the President who touted transparency and openness to the public and media. Members of the press corps and devout Twitter users are trying to get #AskGibbs as a trending topic. When you can’t get information from the President, don’t expect to get it from his mouthpieces either.

With Obama’s approval rate falling (now hovering around 42 percent), Obamacare’s popularity declining, and the media’s attention span decreasing,  reporters and talking heads will move on to greener pastures. Will we see a recovery in the broken hearts of the media, maybe finding a rebound in the shining Conservative stars who already have won over the public? It is time the press wakes up and moves on. This is not a ‘happily-ever-after’ type of relationship.

Sorry, media. You’re not getting a rose at the end of this ceremony.