In the short video which showed White House spokesman Jay Carney responding to a Fox News reporter’s inquiry “to whether the president had the authority to change parts of the Obamacare law” , that “I invite you to read the Federal Register," he said. "I know that'd be a lot to ask” was virtually unfair and without merit. The response was considered unfair considering that as the White House spokesman it is within his duty read the Federal Register on a regular basis since it provides extensive information on public policy issues of the federal government.
However, knowing that the question came from a reporter, whose job is to pry and solicit credible information for reasons that justify the government’s actions on relevant concerns, like the Obamacare law, or provisions therein; Carney would have known that the knowledge of details contained in the Federal Register is actually insufficient. Thus, by relaying this particular statement, Carney intently; yet implicitly asserted the ignorance of that who was questioning him; given that the president, indeed, had the authority to delay implementation of the identified provision – which, according to him, was not an unusual matter.
As a White House spokesman, Carney should have responded in a more responsible and mature manner without undermining the capacity of those who asks questions for clarifications and verification purposes. He should have known that these questions are needed to be responded to with utmost diligence and with exemplary levels of professionalism so as not to be offensive in any manner. In the end, the recipients of these responded inquiries are the general public, who could likewise be assumed not to have read the Federal Register in its entirety.
Reference
Halper, D. (2013, July 10). Carney to Reporter: 'Read the Federal Register, I Know That'd Be a Lot to Ask'. Retrieved from The Weekly Standard: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/carney-report-read-federal-register-i-know-thatd-be-lot-ask_739208.html
