The Associated Press quotes Poynter’s Kelly McBride:
” ‘If you’re sitting there with a microphone on, you don’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy,’ said Kelly McBride, an expert in journalism ethics for the Poynter Institute. ‘If you’re a governor or president, you know that.’
“She also questioned whether news organizations should be agreeing to go off the record with the president.
“Judging by the things written by other Twitter users since West’s action, Obama wasn’t in the minority, she said.
” ‘The president calling Kanye West a “jackass” is perfect information for a tweet,’ she said. ‘In fact, that’s the ideal format. You can do it in 140 characters. There’s not much else to say.’ “
