By Mona Austin
Jen Psaki's last time working in the White House brieifng room was distinguished by appreciation, frustration and tears.
Before taking the job she recalled a conversation with Pres. Joe Biden that centered around bringing Integrity, respect and civillty to the press room. Restoring the sense of order that was lost during the Trump era became a goal that she souhgt to reach by carryin out class-room style sessions This approach was an adjustment for assertive journos accustomed to darting questions at their own will. Sometimes there was head butting she recalled. . .
"You have debated me. And at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working," she said. "Without accountability, without debate, government is not as strong. And you all play an incredibly pivotal role, thank you for what you do. Thank you for making me better. And most importantly, thank you for the work every day you do to make this country stronger."
For almost a year and a half Psaki answered reporters' questions from the Brady Press Briefing Room, sometimes in terse exchanges as the Press Secreatry to the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden. On her final day at the podium, she was teary-eyed as she said her good byes and took her last questions for roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. Immigration and the shortage of infant formula dominated her last round of Q&As with the press, which she took the time to thank.
Several reporters thanked the out-going presidential spokeswoman for her service before inquiries.
The briefing almost did not proceed due to peristent shouting from a reporter who had jousted with Psaki in the past.
“Why don’t you take questions from across the room? Because that’s not what you’ve done for the past 15 months,” Simon Ateba of Today News Africa yelled as AP reporter Zeke Miller kicked off the questioning.
Tamara Keith from NPR turned around asking Ateba to stop the interruptions as Psaki continued the habit of starting with the front and he got louder as another reporter. Mona Austin of the Slice NEws said, "Not today.
He wanted Mrs. Psaki to start with the back of the room for a change -- a zone that he said she ignored for 15 months. Some reporters attending briefings regularly could go for months without getting in a single question. Melanie Archer, of CNS News, a Virginia-based conservative attended daily breifings regularly for the past year and was overlooked everytime she raised her hand.
Arguably lessern know reporters or publications were not given a fair chance to be heard either in or outside of briefing. Only a select few cover the Vice Presdient and First Lady and most are not approved to Speace limitations and the on-oing pandemic were the reasons the press team offered for the
It could also be argued that White House media became more inclusive under the Biden Administration, an emulation of hiring practicies throuhout the country. However, certian religious entities have complained about being treated as outsiders.
In many ways Psaki radiated positivity as she endeavored to shift the tone back to pre-Tump normalcy. She appears to ahve found the balance between a leader and a servant. She could be seen in one instance voluntarily giving leads to reporters of who to contact in the goverment for their stories. In other instances she promised to use her weight to look in to situations where familes trying to leave Afghanistan were stuck. In other instances she asserted herself against men raising their voices far above hers, demonstrating her command of the flow of the room, without matching their level of aggression. She was "lady-like" and friendly while maintaining a professional posture despite occasional sparring.
White House historia Martha Kuras noted that on her final day, Psaki had jheld 244 briefings. That total exceeds the amount of brifins all of Former RPes. Donald Trump's Press Secretaries had held combined in four years. Kuras added that she did not lie and reported the postions of the Biden dministration with "accuracy."