# White House Press Room Evacuated - somebody covered the cameras to shut off press access.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 10, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145 "2015-06-10T05:00:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/41 "2015-06-10T17:50:18Z")

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> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> It’s the attitude, of _hey, lets kill these press cameras because we don’t know how this situation will develop._ That’s of concern.

Maybe they were concerned some cop responding to the bomb threat would decide the President looked suspicious and try to arrest him.

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**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/42 "2015-06-10T17:53:47Z")

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Clearly, they were holding the dress rehearsal for the big Jade Helm press conference where Obama declares martial law in the name of Sharia, announces that the UN will be stopping by to confiscate your guns, and makes it mandatory for Christians to get gay-married.

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**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/43 "2015-06-10T17:56:01Z")

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> [@Smapti](#):
>
> Clearly, they were holding the dress rehearsal for the big Jade Helm press conference where Obama declares martial law in the name of Sharia, announces that the UN will be stopping by to confiscate your guns, and makes it mandatory for Christians to get gay-married.

Hey! That’s supposed to be _secret._

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/44 "2015-06-10T18:08:30Z")

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> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> You’re perceived as wantonly diving headfirst into the shallow end of the pool rather than waiting for your brain to finish processing the fact that you’re not at the deep end.

Well, “knee-jerk-worst-case-reaction-followed-by-grudging-climbdown” is an interesting pattern to watch. And it’s consistent. We all need some things we can rely on in our lives. This is one of them. 😃

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**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/45 "2015-06-10T18:09:36Z")

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:rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/46 "2015-06-10T19:12:28Z")

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> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> If their bomb detection techniques are secret. That’s fine. Tell the press afterward they can’t use that footage. Make it clear National Security is a concern. That’s come up before. The press cooperates in matters of National Security.

Dude, this is just plain stupid. The Press can NEVER be trusted to keep a secret. Ever. Nope.

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/47 "2015-06-10T19:28:48Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> The earth shook and the rocks were split; the tombs were opened, and the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
> 
> And I agree with **BobLibDem**.

Not to hijack, but that right there is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day.

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**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/48 "2015-06-10T19:56:10Z")

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Where do I find the 24x7 live feed of the Press Room cameras, so that I can watch what’s going on in there during the 23 hours of each and every day when White House Press Briefings aren’t taking place?

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**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/49 "2015-06-11T01:06:17Z")

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Gotta side with the SS on this. They probably don’t want the public to know how they search for bombs so the next mad bomber can’t notice a defect in their protocol.

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**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/50 "2015-06-11T01:17:00Z")

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Look at it this way, there probably wasn’t a single person in that room that knew anything about cameras and every camera in there had a lens pointed at what was going on. They could have been recording or even sending live video that would show details of Secret Service security measures or possibly even people being blown to pieces. It’s a good idea to make sure that’s not happening.

Now, other than tossing a towel over them or pointing then downward, try to think of a logical way to accomplish that.

I’ve thought of about 4-5 ways you could do it, but none of them are the least bit logical.

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/51 "2015-06-11T18:19:17Z")

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> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> Gotta side with the SS on this. They probably don’t want the public to know how they search for bombs so the next mad bomber can’t notice a defect in their protocol.

Remote-triggered bombs would also seem to be a risk here. If you’re televising the search, the bomber can watch and decide the optimum moment to push the button and blow up the maximum number of emergency responders.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/52 "2015-06-11T19:19:32Z")

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Presumably the bomber would be more interested in bumping off the WH press secretary and Washington press corps, but that’s neither here nor there.

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**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/53 "2015-06-11T19:37:58Z")

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> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Tell the press afterward they can’t use that footage. Make it clear National Security is a concern. That’s come up before. The press cooperates in matters of National Security.

Like how the New York Times withheld the names of undercover CIA officers in a recent news story because the CIA said publishing their names could endanger their safety?

[Oh, that’s the OPPOSITE of what happened!](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/27/new-york-times-drone-security_n_7155844.html)

Dude, this is fucking stupid. It’s ridiculous, ludicrous, dumb, asinine, naive, and also a little bit unfortunate.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-press-room-evacuated-somebody-covered-the-cameras-to-shut-off-press-access/722145/54 "2015-06-11T20:02:07Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Is it so difficult to imagine that the search tools and techniques used at such a top-level site might be classified, or in general best not demonstrated to the world, that select nutballs within it use the information to refine their tactics?

There’s also the concern that if the bomb actually blew up, they wouldn’t want the networks to have footage of part of the Whitehouse falling down in wreckage, or possibly bomb squad members being blown to bits.

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