Obama has pledged “openness” and “transparency” in his new government. It typical left wing fashion, it depends on the definition of all the words in the sentence. It’s all subject to interpretation.

There is a disturbing trend forming in the new administration. Our glorious leader is making a concerted effort to keep anyone from asking him questions, talking to him or reporting about him. There were hints of this before the election, such as when Obama kicked all the reporters from outlets that didn’t endorse him off his campaign. But it’s become much more pronounced since he has taken office. The first stark moment was when the president asked the media to use only pictures his staff had taken. Then Obama visited the press core and became angry when they asked him questions.

In recent weeks, the president has taken up only talking to radical left wing blog sites like the Huffington Post. He’s only taking questions from well known left wing talk hosts like Ed Schultz. Now Obama’s former campaign manager David Plouffe asked the press to take his speech at the National Press Club off the record and the press is considering keeping it off the record.

I’m galled. This is the same media who just a few years ago was suing for their right to publish pictures of coffins and bodies coming back from Iraq. This is the same media who just a little while ago was publishing our military and intelligence secrets while smugly lecturing us all on their right to free press.

There are so many things to be said here. The first is obvious: How can the president live up to his pledge of “openness” and “transparency” if he’s only disseminating information to the tried and true left wing talkers? The people who are guaranteed to put a pretty spin on whatever is happening.

Naturally the liberal blogs are loving this.

The problem is that so called “mainstream” journalists are going to lose charm with it. The Mainstream Media saw the Obama administration as a victory for themselves. The fact that Obama won’t have anything to do with them now is a slap in the face. Obama’s first interview as president didn’t even go to an American media outlet. He went to some Middle Eastern mouthpiece for that.

How long are mainstream reporters going to sit on their hands and take this? The economic downturn is also effecting them. Layoffs in the newsrooms are becoming more and more common. This is going to make journalists more desperate to break stories as they compete to prove what good reporters they are. Obama’s talks with the blogs is setting up for a nasty war.

On the president’s side, there is also an ethical question. Online left wing blogs talk about news, but a lot of them have as their primary purposes political fundraising. The man who pledged to have no lobbyists in his administration is cutting out the middle man and making his appeals to the special interests directly. It’s not illegal, but it is definitely questionable in the ethical department. (Side note: Obama has hired several ex lobbyists in violation of his own pledge.)

And there is still another side of this: namely the calls for the “Fairness Doctrine”. So far, it’s mostly been Congress who has been pushing this idea. Debbie Stabenow from Michigan is championing this cause calling for “fairness” on the radio airwaves to bring “accountability” and “transparency”. While making her speech Stabenow neglected to mention that her husband worked for the left wing Air America and even had a show on said network. Ironically she pushed hardest on a liberal radio show. But she’s not alone. Just recently Bill Clinton has also called for re-imposing the doctrine.

In the days of old it was argued that the “Fairness Doctrine” is not an attack on Free Speech because of X, Y and Z. Today it is being argued that the “Fairness Doctrine” does violate the first amendment, we (the supporters) just don’t care. This should send a chill up the spines of anyone paying attention to it.

But there is a chance that these arguments are going to collide. The left wants to shut down talk radio because it’s too “partisan” even while we have a president who is only talking to the most partisan left wing sites? How can mainstream journalists laugh at Fox News being shut out of press conferences when the president is essentially doing the same things to the mainstream journalists by approving questions in advance?

The media is composed of human beings too. These people are nervous about their jobs too. There is going to start being some resentment about all the above. In the media mind, Obama owes them one. And he’s not giving it over. If the government is going to start regulating the radio, how long till it starts regulating television which uses the same kinds of airwaves? The original Fairness Doctrine did apply to television.

Not all journalists are stupid and near sighted, some of them are going to wonder what is going to happen when the left loses power and suddenly they’re faced with a hostile conservative regime that can dictate “balance” on the airwaves.

As this movement picks up steam there is going to be a nasty media war. Some of it will be entertaining because journalists will be digging up the dirt on each other and publishing it for the world to see. Unfortunately the rest of it will be sad as we watch free speech, press and expression slowly erode in favor of government regulation and oversight.