Journalists Banned From Obama Press Conference

In a big disappointment for many journalists, the press conference held by Obama in Jakarta yesterday was limited to only 25, forcing many to watch it on television.The original plan was to have the press conference take place in the State Palace gardens. Unfortunately due to rain, the event had to be brought indoors, and the palace press bureau found it necessary to strictly limit the number of reporters who could come inside to cover the conference.I don’t understand why the press bureau has to screen us,” Hani, a journalist from an online news portal, told the Jakarta Globe. “I knew that there were plans to select those who could join the media if it was raining. But they should have come up with clear criteria of who could attend and who couldn’t.”The journalists were not only disappointed. They were angered as well by the fact that all of the foreign journalists were allowed in, but the locals. One journalist, Agus Suhana, reporting for Bloomberg knew that covering the Obama visit wasn’t going to be easy, but he didn’t expect this level of difficulty.“This is the first time after decades covering the State Palace I have been so disappointed,” Agus told the Globe. “I expected to see him with my own eyes and get the atmosphere of the state welcoming ceremony as well as the press conference. It is disappointing that we have to watch it on television.”