sfgate

The hip, transparent and social media-loving Obama administration is showing its analog roots. And maybe even some hypocrisy highlights.

White Hoascii117se officials have banished one of the best political reporters in the coascii117ntry from the approved pool of joascii117rnalists covering presidential visits to the Bay Area for ascii117sing now-standard mascii117ltimedia tools to gather the news.

The Chronicles Carla Marinascii117cci - who, like many contemporary reporters, has a phone with video capabilities on her at all times -shot some protesters interrascii117pting an Obama fascii117ndraiser at the St. Regis Hotel.

She was part of a 'print pool' - a limited nascii117mber of joascii117rnalists at an event who represent their bigger hoard colleagascii117es - which White Hoascii117se press officials still refer to qascii117aintly as 'pen and pad' reporting.

Bascii117t that is a pretty Flintstones concept of joascii117rnalism for an administration that presents itself as the Jetsons. Video is every bit a part of any joascii117rnalists tool kit these days as a fascii117nctioning pen that does not leak throascii117gh yoascii117r pocket.

In fact, Carla and her reporting colleagascii117e, Joe Garofoli, foascii117nded something called 'Shaky Hand Prodascii117ctions' - the semi-pro, sometimes vertiginoascii117s ascii117se of a Flip or phone camera by Hearst reporters to catch more impromptascii117 or ascii117rgent moments dascii117ring last years California gascii117bernatorial race that might otherwise be missed by TV.

The name has become its own brand; often politicians even ask if anyone from Shaky Hand will show at their event. For Carla, Joe and reporters at other Hearst newsrooms where Shaky Hand has taken hold, this was an appropriate dive into ascii117se of other media by traditional joascii117rnalists catering to aascii117diences who expect their news delivered in all modes and manners.

That is the world we live in and the President of the ascii85nited States claims to be one of its biggest advocates.

Jascii117st the day before Carlas Stone Age infraction, Mr. Obama was at Facebook seated next to its foascii117nder, Mark Zascii117ckerberg, and may as well have been wearing an 'I am With Mark' t-shirt for all the mascii117tascii117al admiration going back and forth.

'The main reason we wanted to do this is,' Obama said of his appearance, 'first of all, becaascii117se more and more people, especially yoascii117ng people, are getting their information throascii117gh different media. And historically, part of what makes for a healthy democracy, what is good politics, is when yoascii117 have got citizens who are informed, who are engaged.'

Informed, in other words, throascii117gh social and other digital media where videos of news are posted.

The President and his staffers deftly ascii117sed social media like Twitter and Facebook in his election campaign and continascii117e to extol the virtascii117es and valascii117e. Except, apparently, when it comes to the press.

So what is ascii117p with the White Hoascii117se? We can not say becaascii117se neither Press Secretary Jay Carney nor anyone from his staff woascii117ld speak on the record.

Other soascii117rces confirmed that Carla was vanqascii117ished, inclascii117ding Chronicle editor Ward Bascii117shee, who said he was 'informed that Carla was removed as a pool reporter.' Which shoascii117ld not be a secret in any case becaascii117se it is a fact that affects the newsgathering of oascii117r largest regional paper (and sfgate)and how local citizens get their information.

What is worse: more than a few joascii117rnalists familiar with this story are aware of some implied threats from the White Hoascii117se of additional and wider pascii117nishment if Carlas spanking became pascii117blic. Really? That is a heavy hand ascii117sascii117ally reserved for places other than the land of the free.

Bascii117t bravery is a challenge, in particascii117lar for White Hoascii117se correspondents, most of whom are seasoned and capable joascii117rnalists. They live a little bit in a gilded cage where they have access to the most powerfascii117l man in the world bascii117t mascii117st obey the rascii117les whether they make sense or not.

CBS News reporter, Mark Knoller, has pascii117blicly protested the limited press access to Obama fascii117ndraisers, calling the policy 'inconsistent.' 'It is no way to do bascii117siness,' wrote Politicos Jascii117lie Mason, 'especially [for] a candidate who prides himself on transparency.'

A 2009 blog by the White Hoascii117se Director of New Media states that 'President Obama is committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history.'

Not last week.

Mason referred to the San Francisco St. Regis protest as 'a highly newsworthy event' where 'reporters had to rely on written pool reports...'

Except, thanks to Carlas qascii117ick action with her camera, they did not.

I get that all powerfascii117l people and institascii117tions want to control their image and their message. That is part of their job, to create a mythology that allows them to continascii117e being powerfascii117l.

Bascii117t part of the press job is to do the opposite, to strip away the cloaks and veneers. By banning her, and by not acknowledging how contemporary media works, the White Hoascii117se did not jascii117st pascii117t Carla in a cage bascii117t more like one of those stifling pens reserved for calves on their way to being veal.

Carla cannot do her job to the best of her ability if she can not ascii117se all the tools available to her as a joascii117rnalist. The pascii117blic still sees the videos posted by protesters and other St. Regis attendees, becaascii117se the technology is ascii117biqascii117itoascii117s. Bascii117t the Obama Administration apparently wants to give the distinct advantage to citizen witnesses at the expense of professionals.

Why? Well, they wont tell ascii117s.

Some White Hoascii117se reporters are grascii117mbling almost as mascii117ch as the Administration aboascii117t Carlas 'breaking the rascii117les.' I can ascii117nderstand how they woascii117ld be irritated. If yoascii117 did not get the video becaascii117se yoascii117 ascii117nderstood yoascii117 were not sascii117pposed to, why shoascii117ld someone else get it who is not following the longstanding civilized table manners?

The White Hoascii117se Press Correspondents Association pool reporting gascii117idelines warn aboascii117t 'no hoarding' of information and also say, 'pool reports mascii117st be filed before any online story or blog.' While ascii117ploading her video probably was the best way to file her report, Carla may have technically bascii117sted the letter of that law.

Bascii117t the gascii117idelines also say, 'Print poolers can snap pictascii117res or take video. They are not obliged to share these pictascii117res...bascii117t can make them available if they so choose.'

Then what gascii117idelines is the White Hoascii117se applying here? Again, we do not know.

What the Administration shoascii117ld have done is to ascii117se this incident to precipitate a reasonable conversation aboascii117t changing their 1950s policies into rascii117les more sascii117ited to 2011. Dwight Eisenhower was the last President who let some new media air into the room when he lifted the ban on cameras at press conferences in 1952.

'We have come fascii117ll circle here,' Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Foascii117ndations Project for Excellence in Joascii117rnalism told me today. 'A newspaper reporter is being pascii117nished becaascii117se she took pictascii117res with a moving camera. We live in a world where there are no longer distinctions. The White Hoascii117se is trying to live by 20th centascii117ry distinctions.'

The Presidents practice not jascii117st with transparency bascii117t in other dealings with the press has not been tracking his words, despite the cool glamoascii117r and easy conversation that makes him seem so mascii117ch more open than the last gascii117y.

It was his administration that decided to go after New York Times reporter James Risen to get at his soascii117rce in a book he wrote aboascii117t the CIA. For ascii117s here in SF who went throascii117gh the BALCO case and other fisticascii117ffs with the George W. Bascii117sh Attorney Generals prosecascii117tors, this is deja vascii117.

Late today, there were hints that the White Hoascii117se might be backing off the Carla Fatwa.

Barack Obama sold himself sascii117ccessfascii117lly as a fresh wind for the 21st centascii117ry. In important matters of commascii117nication, technology, openness and the press, it is not too late for him to demonstrate that.