President Nixon, during the Watergate scandal, also had issues with reporting he found objectionable. But even during the depths of that crisis the major news organizations were always able to attend and report on White House press conferences. It was this very coverage by the Washington Post, the New York Times and other media outlets that brought intense scrutiny to Nixon's attempt to cover up illegal activities conducted on his behalf which eventually led to his resignation. Excluding the press is self-defeating. "Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy." --Walter Cronkite