President Obama will go on the record with MTV's Sway Calloway and Andrew Jenks this Friday, joining the network's presidential coverage with 30-minutes of questions with a live audience.
But the president insisted that a 30-minute phone call with members of the editorial board of the Des Moines Register remain off-the-record, as he sought their endorsement.
It's a common theme during this election cycle as Obama avoids the press, choosing to appear on late night comedy shows, The View, and the Daily Show with John Stewart. The president has also gone on the record with radio DJ's throughout the country.
Des Moines Register Editor Rick Green explained in a blog post he and one other member took the call, but criticized the president's insistance that the conversation remain off the record.
"Our expectation is that the answer to one of the most important questions the Register ever can ask a politician –- “Why should you be our president?” –- deserves to be shared with voters," wrote Green.
"Unfortunately, what we discussed was off-the-record. It was a condition, we were told, set by the White House," he explained
It's not as if Obama was approaching hostile territory either. The president was endorsed by the Register in 2008, praising his "steadfastness in the face of uncertainty, his clear-eyed vision for a more just America and his potential for rallying the country to do great things."
