The Phoenix

Woe is us: Obama tells NY Times he "rarely reads blogs"

Sure, he was being interviewed by a journalist from the capo-di-tutti-capi of old-media elites (what, was he gonna tell the New York Times that he gets his economic news from Perez Hilton?). But still, with the fishwrap industry taking at least as big a shipment of fail as Wall Street these days, it's kind of sweet to hear the Leader of the Free World say something nice about newspapers. And what does he like about them? Reliable data? Fair and balanced reporting? Crossword puzzles? No, no, no: Obama likes the way they feel.

Before we get to the relevant quote, a question: might the Pulitzer committee consider taking away an award or three from the Times for wasting three of their precious 45 minutes with America's first black president by asking him whether or not he watches reality shows? Seriously dude: Really? Fucking really? Here's the relevant excerpt from the Times's AF1powow . . .

Q: Sir, we’re landing here, but what are you reading these days? What kind of newspapers do you read, do you read the clips, do you read actual papers, do you watch television?
A: Other than The New York Times?
Q: Other than The New York Times. Do you read Web sites? What Web sites do you look at?
A: I read most of the big national papers.
Q. Do you read them in clips or do you read them in the paper?
A. No, I read the paper. I like the feel of a newspaper. I read most of the weekly newsmagazines. I may not read them from cover to cover but I’ll thumb through them. You know, I spend most of my time these days reading a lot of briefings.
Q: And television? Do you watch? Web sites?
A: I don’t watch much television, I confess.
Q: And Web sites?
Q: No blogs?
A: I rarely read blogs.
Q: No reality shows with your girls?