Perhaps still stinging from the Katrina disaster, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees posed as reporters at a fake "news conference," tossing softball questions at their boss, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the agency's deputy director. No real reporters were there, because FEMA only provided news agencies with a fifteen minute warning of the meeting. FEMA did allow real reporters to dial into a phone hookup, but they were not allowed to ask any questions.

The video feed of this fiction was provided to all the networks. Several channels carried it live, fooled into thinking it was real. Others carried clips from it later in the day.

The White House, to their credit, immediately condemned the forgery, calling it an "error in judgement." White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "It’s not something I would have condoned, and they, I’m sure, will not do it again."

Duh.

Even the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, called it "inexcusable and offensive". Spokeswoman Laura Keehner said, "We find it offensive, and it won’t happen again".

But the real question here is: what attitude within this presidency created an environment where government employees would ever even consider such an idiotic stunt?

Is it possible that the President who, we are told, rarely reads newspapers and seldom watches TV news, leads by example? If he has such disdain for the press, it’s no surprise that the people who work for him would follow his lead.

Bush apologists like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly may argue that the media have earned the scorn of the President and his people. They may be right. But that’s not the point. When you do something like this, you're not just trashing journalists, you're showing your disrespect for anyone who reads a newspaper, watches television or reads news on the internet. The framers of our constitution understood that when they made the first amendment the first amendment. They understood the inherent danger of a government that controls the information its citizens receive. And if you still aren't convinced, ask any of the refugees who've fled Cuba about the importance of an independent, free press.

That's why any politician, any company, any government agency that cares what people think of them should take the press seriously and treat them with respect. Even in this age of citizen journalists, blogs and web-based news, traditional reporters and editors still have a huge influence on public opinion. You don’t have to like them. You don't have to agree with them. But if you want to put your best foot forward, you better learn how to deal with them.