6 Months & Counting Since Hillary Clinton's Last News Conference...
June 6, 2016

Hillary Clinton is facing increasing criticism over her lack of availability before the press, though her campaign is pushing back.

A Clinton campaign spokesman said Sunday that reporters "often" have the chance to ask Clinton questions informally after events.

But a Fox News producer traveling with Clinton said that is "completely not true," and that Clinton "almost never" addresses reporters' questions.

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CNN's Jake Tapper Asks Hillary Clinton Why She Hasn't Held A Press Conference In "Five Or Six Months"
May 31, 2016

TAPPER: Historically speaking throughout your decades in public life you and your husband have had occasionally contentious relationships with journalists, though, it certainly never went as far publicly as it did today with Donald Trump calling journalists sleazy and dishonest and unfair. So what went through your mind watching his press conference today?

CLINTON: Well, I have to say, Jake, I had my team check. I have done nearly 300 interviews just in 2016 and I believe that it's important to continue to, you know, speak to the press as I'm doing right now.

And to understand that his attacking everybody, fellow Republicans, Democrats, the press, you just name it. He attacks everybody, is a recipe for gridlock in Washington. And that's what we've got to break and get away with.

You know, he seems to believe, or at least is demonstrating that insulting and attacks is his mode of operations. And you know, I just don't think that's going to cut it. If you want to actually produce results for the American people and not only lead it home, but lead the world.

TAPPER: You do, do interviews and you're calling in right now obviously and we appreciate that. But it has been pointed out to me that it's something like five or six months since you've held an actual press conference. Is that something you're going to remedy soon?

CLINTON: Oh, I'm sure we will. You know look, I was shocked myself that I've done nearly 300 interviews. And they're not even sure they've captured all the ones that I've done.

But I believe that we do and we should answer questions. Of course, I'm going to, and many, many different kinds of settings.
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Clinton Has Had More FBI Interrogations Than Press Conferences This Year
By Michael Sainato • 07/05/16

There has arguably never been a presidential candidate in modern history with more aversion to the press than Hillary Clinton. So far this year, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has coasted through the primaries without holding a single press conference—the last was on December 4, 2015. In fact, Hillary Clinton has had more interrogations with the FBI than press conferences in 2016—a historic achievement that Democrats would be up in arms if the circumstances pertained to anyone other than Clinton.

The First Amendment, protecting freedom of speech, is fundamental to democracy, yet Clinton has consistently, throughout her career, blocked press access. Emails obtained by the Associated Press reveal calculated efforts on behalf of Clinton’s staff to script remarks and plant softball questions at campaign events.

“While it’s not unusual for campaigns to plan detailed appearances,” the AP reported, “the exchanges preview the kind of image-control apparatus that could be deployed in a Clinton White House, including attempts to steer conversations with her audiences.” The report illuminates what millions of voters already know about Hillary Clinton: her campaign manufactures deception, consistently pandering to whichever demographics she is soliciting, while shielding herself from unfavorable exposure.
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Reporters plead for Clinton press conference after FBI announcement
July 6, 2016

In the wake of a recommendation by the FBI that Clinton not be charged for her use of a private email server, reporters want Hillary Clinton to speak into the microphone.

It’s been seven months since the presumptive Democratic nominee held a press conference (for comparison it’s been less than two weeks since Donald Trump had two back-to-back during a trip to Scotland.) And reporters covering the candidate are frustrated.

On Tuesday Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan wrote a blistering column, calling on Clinton to hold one in the wake of the FBI’s announcement.

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and here's that "blistering column"

It’s time for Hillary Clinton to face the music — and the media
July 5, 2016, by Margaret Sullivan

Remember Fort Dodge, Iowa?

No? Well, that’s understandable. It’s been a long time — seven months — since an event in Fort Dodge that turned out to be historic: Hillary Clinton’s last news conference.

The candidate, famously opaque, answered a grand total of seven questions there on Dec. 4, 2015. Since then, although she’s given individual interviews, she hasn’t made herself available for general media questioning.

That must change, and what better moment than immediately, given the news that FBI Director James B. Comey has recommended that no charges be brought against the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

Comey, in delivering that news, also said the former secretary of state and her staff were “extremely careless” in handling classified information. Much of what he said, along with earlier revelations, contradicts what Clinton has maintained at various times: that there was no classified information in her private-server emails, that what she did was allowable, that she turned over all her work emails and that no security breaches resulted from her handling of the emails.

Clinton owes it to the electorate not only to speak publicly about all of this but also to answer tough questions.

That she hasn’t done so may be smart from a tactical or strategic point of view. If her campaign has even considered what good could come of it, the answer — none — has clearly emerged. After all, her news conference in March 2015, when she parried questions about her email server, was pretty close to a disaster. She came off as anything but transparent as she parsed every word and made hard-to-swallow excuses about her preference for using only one mobile device.

So, yes, the smart play might be to continue to stonewall. Or to continue to offer the carefully selected interviews she’s been doing.

That’s safe. But it’s not right.

For all of Donald Trump’s faults in dealing with the media — and they are legion — he has often made himself available. It’s true that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is more likely to give bombastic speeches that are exercises in narcissism (with a dollop of lies on top) than to forthrightly answer questions. But at least there is the chance of pinning him down.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle...7a9d_story.html