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White House launches program to answer e-mail questions
December 6, 1999 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If you've ever wanted to question the White House Press Office just like the news media, the White House is offering an opportunity to do just that. On Monday, it announced a new service for online news organizations and Internet users called "Ask the White House." Each week Internet users can e-mail questions for the White House to participating news organizations and the organization will submit the five most asked questions to the White House press office. The responses will be posted weekly on the Web sites of each participating news organization. White House spokesman Barry Toiv said the service is aimed an answering questions from Internet users "just like we for the reporters" at the White House Press Office.
Staff from the press office will answer the questions. Toiv said that President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore would not personally answer questions but he added that both Clinton and Gore could be consulted on how to answer a particular question. "It's not intended for them," he said. There will be no restrictions on the types of questions. Toiv said the White House expects most questions to be policy-related, based on past experience with White House officials participating in chats and other Internet events. But all questions are welcome, including those political in nature, as the 2000 elections approach. "Of course, there are going to be political questions, about the president personally, the first family, whatever," he said. "We'll see what happens." The new service made its debut Monday on America Online, which Toiv said originated the idea. "One of the questions we got was whether the president got his flu shot," Toiv said, adding that the answer was yes. If multiple news organizations decide to participate and providing answers to all the questions becomes too much of a workload, Toiv said a rotation system might have to be developed. "Our intent is for everybody to be able to do it each week," he said. Toiv said that AOL is the only participating organization so far as it got first crack since it originated the idea. And while the service is open to all participating news organizations, the White House does require that participating new services have a method of determining the most asked questions, he said. Douglas S. Wood wrote this report. |
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MORE STORIES:Monday, December 6, 1999
• New Jersey woman arrested in campaign finance probe • White House launches program to answer e-mail questions • NHPrimary.com: Gore serves as 'anniversary gift' for couple • Des Moines Register: Bradley courts Gore constituencies • Mrs. Clinton packs for move, plans Washington Christmas • Clinton criticizes China, Russia on human rights • Investigators say USDA squandered money on new ventures • Bradley says he'll promote racial understanding • Hillary Clinton's spokeswoman stepping down • U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its Miranda decision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
