HOWARD KURTZ (HOST): There is a larger point here, and that is the media fear that this is the beginning of substantial restrictions on press access. There were no photographers allowed, for example, when President-elect [Donald] Trump met with the Japanese prime minister. You heard Kellyanne Conway say he would commit to allowing the press to cover him properly, but she didn't quite say he'd have a protective pool at all times.
ERIN MCPIKE: Right, and the press is always going to fight this. My own view has always been that a lot of these press fights in the negotiation should go on without bringing the public into it, because it's a waste of the public's time. We do need a protective pool --
KURTZ: You're saying no one out there cares about our little problem.
MCPIKE: No, they don't, and it's important. And let's get that protective pool for sure. We always give the same ghoulish example, but there could be other examples of why there needs to be a protective pool, and this might sound Pollyanna-ish and hypothetical, but the president-elect could do something heroic for a civilian, or he could encounter another world leader. All these things do need to be documented, but we just don't need to have these fights out in the public view.
KURTZ: Yeah, but I think sometimes people react by saying, oh you whiney journalists, who cares whether you get to go to the golf course or not. But it's actually pretty dull most of the time when you're sitting around, but we are there as sort of the eyes and ears for the public. Anyone want to disagree with that?
JOE TRIPPI: No. It's true. But I think it's more important once he becomes president. I think the negotiation is going on right now and there is a lot of mistrust there. And the other thing I think Trump's not doing is, look, he shows no urge at all to assure anybody that's got doubts about. So the press is all worried that they're going to get shut out. He isn't showing any clues that he's not going to do that.
KURTZ: Well, some of this dates to the campagin, and the fact that he lifted the credentials of some news organizations, didn't allow reporters to fly with him on the plane. But it will be different when he becomes president. I don't think we ought to jump to conclusions.
