White House reporter Bill Plante exits the White House briefing room today after receiving a phone call from an unidentified caller. It marked the third time a cell phone interrupted the briefing. Actually it was a good thing for Robert Gibbs who was struggling to answer a question.
(REUTERS)Photos (1 of 1)
Cell phones turn White House briefing into circus
By Jimmy Orr | 05.13.09
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs wasn’t dancing today. He was moonwalking. Better than Michael Jackson ever did.
While struggling to explain the administration’s rationale for changing its mind on the release of photos depicting the abuse of detainees, he received a gift from above: a cell phone went off.
The phone which emitted a snappy salsa type ring gave Gibbs some breathing room.
“Put it on vibrate man, we did this before,” he said to laughter.
The reporter apologized. And Gibbs let it slide.
Strike two
Only seconds later, the salsa-toned phone started ringing again. Gibbs rolled his eyes and said, “Give me the phone.”
To much laughter, Gibbs strode from the podium and put out his hand demanding the phone. The reporter complied and Gibbs walked back to his office door and threw the phone out. (Someone allegedly caught it).
“I made the determination that the illumination of the sound was distracting the briefing as the Press Secretary to the President of the United States,” he laughed.
Strike three
With that, Gibbs got a breather, the mood was lightened and normalcy could ensue. Right?
Wrong. Then veteran White House reporter Bill Plante’s phone began ringing (no salsa, however). Plante sits in the front row. Not embarrassed by the ringing, he casually took the call.
When Gibbs tried to take his phone, the CBS reporter explained to the caller that “Gibbs wants to take my call but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Plante then stood up and told Gibbs or the caller that “he would explain later.” The normally reserved briefing room morphed into the sounds of a hockey game as Plante slowly walked out of the room to take the call.
“Whoa!” yelled a few reporters. Others just laughed. No one threw anything though. And riot police were not called in.
Gibbs said it best when back up at the podium: “Cotton candy down the street. It’s a circus.”
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2. John Paul | 05.13.09
Plante looked like a five year old kid seeking attention. I cannot believe that a reporter I once respected acted like such a buffoon.
Self centered “important people” are the only ones that want to hold a staged phone conversation in the workplace while everyone else is trying to do their job.
3. Blaine | 05.13.09
Cell-phones are annoying. It only takes one or two people who abuse them to ruin any number of events from press briefings to lectures at colleges. I once was a juror on a trial during which the plaintiff’s lawyer’s cell phone rang 3 times during the course of a morning and yet he still would not or could not put the device on silent — he nearly was cited for contempt by the irate judge and it certainly made him look less professional. I also ride a bicycle and every week or so, some idiot on a cell phone will nearly kill me and not even know it until I pass within a few inches of their bumper. For whatever reason, a subset of people think their conversations are so important that they’re willing to be rude and reckless without regard for others.
Personally, unless Plante’s phone call was a matter of life or death, I think Plante should lose some priveledge for snubbing the press secretary like that.
5. Dave | 05.13.09
To Desert Dweller: You are missing the point. Turning your cell phone off is just common courtesy. Not unless the phone call is an emergency from home is it permissible to interrupt a gathering for a cell phone call. To do otherwise is just rude.
6. Renata Nicole | 05.13.09
It is so rude to leave your cell phone ringer on when you are in a meeting. Put it on vibrate or put it on silent. If you don’t know how to do that then power down the phone. Students in school receive lower grades for having their cell phones go off during class, some people are fired for having their cell phone go off during an office meeting, and military troops are disciplined for having their phone go off when they are standing in formation.
I can see someone accidently forgetting we all make mistakes but to have three interuptions that is just ridiculous. After the first phone rang everyone should have checked to make sure theirs would not be next. And for Bill Plante to get up and talk I seriously hope he was having an emergency. It is disrespectful to the American Public who are trying to understand what is going on. Every time a cell phone rings it takes time away that can be used for the press corp to question the White House or for the White House to inform the public of what is occuring. It doesn’t matter whether you like Obama and his administration or not. If we allow this precedent to be set for a president you don’t respect, when a president you do respect is elected then you will still have to abide by the blatant disrespect.
7. Apolitical | 05.13.09
Firstly, Desert Dweller… go back under whatever conservative and/or hater rock you came out of.
Secondly, Plante should be temporarily suspended for blatant disrespect of a presidential press release.
8. Brian | 05.13.09
“I commend Bill Plante for NOT surrendering his phone to the fool in the white house. I’m glad to see him standing up to the tyranny”
First our cell phones. Then our FREEDOM!!!
(rolls eyes)
9. zebraone@ oasisol.com | 05.13.09
Somebody should remember that a palistinians head was blow off when he answered his cell phone!!!
11. SPENCER | 05.13.09
check around the Net, folks; almost every news outlet are trying to subtlely take a sarcastic swipe at Gibbs for taking cell phones away, and the comments are overwhelmingly talking about rudeness.
I would hate to be sitting next to Bill Plante in a movie theater.
12. poplin | 05.14.09
I was a juror in a courtroom when a cell phone went-off and attended
a wedding where a cell phone went-off. Bill Plante was inappropriate and unprofessional, he should put his phone on vibrate or retire.
13. takoma | 05.14.09
No fooling - HOW UNPROFESSIONAL! Plante shouldn’t be in the corp he cant respect the HUNDREDS of other Journalists who’d slit their wrists to be a member enough to at the VERY LEAST stay til the end of the briefing. CBS news really is a bottom feeder these days (Sorry Katie)
14. Doug | 05.14.09
I freely admit that former Bush press secretaries would be kicking themselves for not thinking of this first, so please don’t get all partisan on me. Mainly I just love corny conspiracy theories. What if it was staged? Plenty of people say the press is in the tank for Obama (Obama even joked about it at the press corps dinner). Dying at a conference? Have a couple calls placed to friendly faces in the crowd. This article never did say whether Gibbs ever got around to answering the questons, might have worked like a champ. (No I’m not a moron, or at least not because of this particular post, I’m kidding people).
15. Monty | 05.14.09
Why couldn’t Gibbs have taken a few moments to ask/remind everyone at the briefing to put their cell phones on vibrate? Gibbs let the circus happen.
16. gunnar-eee | 05.15.09
Surprising incompetence regarding phones. I mean this is a presidential press briefing and these seniors are no better than school kids.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Desert Dweller | 05.13.09
I commend Bill Plante for NOT surrendering his phone to the fool in the white house. I’m glad to see him standing up to the tyranny. I stand with him.