Shandobil’s headline also takes the passive route, “Whitman Press Event … Goes Awry”. No it didn’t. They actively drove it off the road.

From my perspective, Whitman is paying a steeply discounted, e-Bay level price for her actions.

By the way, my pick is b). She has to ask an aide whether to take questions at a presser? Huh? Her “leadership” mantra just rang more than a bit hollow.

The aptly named “Pompei” created a PR disaster with her dishonest, rambling attempt to hide her candidate from the press, then Meg herself sat there in front of microphones ignoring questions at her own press conference, then Pompei’s hired thug grabbed the press’ microphones and recorders while shouting “thank you!” and practically pushed them from the room with Meg smiling from the table — and all the voters got was a Chron story, a couple of TV news stories, and a few blog entries? Do you think Meg Whitman cares a lick about a fast-scrolling item on DC blog?

California’s reporters need to collectively wake up to their responsibilities, stop just “getting what they can,” and start demanding accountability from this “front-runner” — loudly, in unison, on the record, and in Meg’s face. They need a coordinated strategy of attack to ensure that this conduct lands on the front page of California newspapers and the lead story on TV news — statewide. Only then will Meg-lomaniac start taking the press seriously.

The approach on the video, of threatening to leave because she won’t answer reporter’s questions, is missing the whole point (in fact it plays right into her strategy of using TV ads to define the public’s understanding of her). When a candidate for Governor of California refuses to answer questions from the press — that IS the story. (And where the hell are the Ed Boards?)

Ramp it up guys, this charade has gone on too long.