Carla Marinucci rolls with the punches. The veteran SF Chronicle reporter can ask a tough question now and again; she plays by the book.  But, even as her job is rapidly changing, now involving some “Shaky Hand Video Productions”, she is still responsible for doing the job of a reporter, getting answers to questions, and presenting information to the public.  Meg Whitman apparently wants to change the way this system has “worked” in past.  She wants to talk at reporters, who then dutifully write down what she says, and the world will be a better place.

Except, Carla Marinucci wasn’t having any of that at a press stop in the East Bay. In a blog post this afternoon, she posted video of a press flack making up BS as to why Whitman wouldn’t answer any questions.  Then, for good measure, she posted video of Whitman sitting calmly refusing to acknowledge that there is anybody asking her questions.

Reporters from Bay Area media outlets — TV, print and radio — turned up for Whitman’s advertised campaign stop in Oakland, where the former eBay CEO had announced a campaign stop and press event.

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Then came the news that Whitman also wouldn’t take questions; reporters had been called in to “see” her make statements on “how she could be helpful as governor” on jobs and the economy, Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said.

Veteran reporters, who included KTVU’s Randy Shandobil and KPIX’s Hank Plante, were among the crowd that wasn’t amused. Question: is Whitman a candidate for governor, or a museum piece to be “watched” by reporters?(SF Gate)

Of course, Whitman did give a half-hour interview to establishment right-wing columnist Debra Saunders. I’m sure there were some really tough questions there.

So what is the plan with all of this?  Sure, she can buy all the media time she wants 30 seconds at a time. She doesn’t need the earned media in the same way everybody else does because she can just throw another bucket of cash at the problem.  But, really, you are going to piss off the entire press corps by sending them to an industrial facility and then blow them off?

Whitman’s people tried various tactics to spin eMeg’s 874th refusal. This time she was running late, but when that failed to stop the reporters, it became against UnionPacific’s policy to take questions at their facility.  Ummm…except it’s not:

A Whitman spokeswoman said Union Pacific had asked that no news media accompany Whitman on her tour of the facility; Moore told one reporter that it was the campaign’s decision. (InsideBayArea)

Is she really that scared of the media? Exposing the fact that she really doesn’t understand any of the state’s problems, even after running for governor for the last 8 months?

Perhaps Whitman is trying to make Jerry Brown look like a media superstar? Maybe recycle the ol’ Paris Hilton ad from the McCain campaign. That worked well.