Jay Rosen's right. The "press" (#notallpress) have this weird notion that they are an indispensable part of the choreography that is modern presidential politics. They aren't. They have no established and designated "role" in this process. And much of their whining about "access" is basically whining that they aren't the first people to get the equivalent of press releases. I mean scoops!
I'm all for journalism, but holding the microphone or printing the release isn't journalism. It's just being a middleman. And it's always good for everybody if we cut out the middlemen.