Last week, Politico criticized president Obama for being a “puppet master” of the media. According to the news outlet, the president has been among the least cooperative in history. His administration prefers the use of social media and small, easy-to-handle interviews with local — as opposed to national — outlets.

From a public relations standpoint this seems brilliant. Journalists and public relations practitioners are always at odds — the journalist wants a good story while the public relations practitioner wants to paint a pretty picture of his organization. Because most good stories are about conflict and scandal, the White House press corps will happily print any “gotcha” moments they can snag from the president. 

But cynicism aside, there’s a reason why the media is lauded as a public conscience. They ask the tough questions and point out the potential problems with the ideas of the White House, valuable information we as citizens will need to know.

Obama’s defense is that he has shelled out plenty of interviews (674 to be exact, more than any other recent president). But it’s been mostly fluff. The hosts of The View or The Tonight Show just aren’t as brutal as The New York Times (to which he has not given an interview since 2010. The Washington Post has been waiting since 2009). He can’t defend himself as “the most transparent administration in history” because the information coming from the White House is mostly PR and not journalism.

Admittedly, our president is not the first one to try and circumnavigate the media. Franklin D. Roosevelt confounded reporters of his day when he took to the radio for his fireside chats. Bill Clinton spoke directly to local news outlets (who were much more likely to paint him in a positive light out of flattery due to the mere presence of the president) as a way to bypass the White House press corps. Obama’s actions are not new. 

But this is not brilliant PR. The White House is different from most organizations in that it needs to reach every member of the United States — from the staunchest supporters to the harshest critics. Navigating toward social media is leaving out half of our nation — the people following Obama on Twitter are almost entirely supportive of him. 

Plus, calling the media a public conscience is valid. Obama wouldn’t have claimed that we “don’t have a spending problem” —  a flatly untrue statement — in front of a harsh press. The White House needs those tough interviews from The New York Times or The Washington Post in order to insure it’s communicating realistic sentiments. 

The media is a liaison between the White House and us as citizens. I encourage our president to restore the relationship between him and myself, and to be willing to answer the tough questions. I like Obama. I don’t disapprove of most of his actions, but I do disapprove of his avoidance in putting them under the critical eye of mainstream media.