For years it has been standard practice in the media not to report the exact location where the president’s minor kids are traveling in an effort to maintain both their security and privacy. ButBreitbart.com writer Matt Boyle ignored this decades old journalistic tradition when he reported the exact location where Sasha and Malia Obama are spending spring break.
Under normal circumstances, the location of a president’s minor child is not reported unless he or she is attending an event with their parents.
This is, however, not the first time that a news outlet has abandoned this long standing rule and reported on the location of the Obama daughters. Agence France-Presse (AFP) and a few other news websites reported on a trip Malia Obama took to Mexico in March 2012.
After that reports, Michelle Obama’s communications director issued a statement to media outlets expressing concern about the stories, and outlining the standard for what should and should not be made public:
From the beginning of the administration, the White House has asked news outlets not to report on or photograph the Obama children when they are not with their parents and there is no vital news interest. We have reminded outlets of this request in order to protect the privacy and security of these girls.
Most traditional news outlets abide by this arrangement, but Matt Doyle is did not observe that tradition when he posted an “exclusive” story detailing where the Obama daughters were spending spring break.
Read more: Your Black World
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