Bush speaks, but no photos allowed

The Presidential photo in question.



Thank you wire services, for taking a stand. Shessh. What's next?!?!






Wires Reject Handout Photo Of Bush Speech

January 11, 2007
By Daryl Lang

The White House broke with tradition Wednesday night and refused to let photojournalists shoot still pictures of the president at the podium after his prime-time address on the Iraq war.

As a result, newspapers and wire services had little choice but to run low-quality frame grabs from the video of the speech. An official handout photo from the White House, which most news outlets rejected, was the only other option. Caught in a bind on deadline, some newspapers ran the official White House photo with no disclosure that it was provided by the government.

Two major wire services, the Associated Press and Reuters, refused to accept the handout photo. They sent their members notices explaining that frame grabs from the White House video pool would be their only photo coverage of the speech.

"Reuters News Pictures regrets that due to restrictions imposed by the White House, Reuters will not be able to provide still photographs from President Bush's White House address on Iraq," the Reuters bulletin said.

Normally after the president gives a televised address, a pool of news photographers takes pictures of the commander-in-chief standing behind the podium. The press was notified late Wednesday that photographers would not be allowed in after the Iraq address, says J. David Ake, assistant chief of bureau for photos at the AP in Washington. Ake says no reason was given for the limited access.