Abramson: Obama Administration 'The Most Secretive'

In an interview with John Seigenthaler at Al-Jazeera America, NY Times Executive Editor Jim Abramson called the Obama Administration 'the most secretive' White House she's ever covered. 

Let me move on to another topic in the Obama administration. How would you grade this administration, compared to others, when it comes to its relationship with the media? 

Jill Abramson

Well, I would slightly like to interpret the question as "How secretive is this White House?" which I think is the most important question. I would say it is the most secretive White House that I have ever been involved in covering, and that includes — I spent 22 years of my career in Washington and covered presidents from President Reagan on up through now, and I was Washington bureau chief of the Times during George W. Bush's first term. 

I dealt directly with the Bush White House when they had concerns that stories we were about to run put the national security under threat. But, you know, they were not pursuing criminal leak investigations. The Obama administration has had seven criminal leak investigations. That is more than twice the number of any previous administration in our history. It's on a scale never seen before. 

This is the most secretive White House that, at least as a journalist, I have ever dealt with.