With publication of pool reports, Gawker loosens up the Beltway

But before journalists can use the reports, they are first filtered through White House officials, who distribute them to the press corps via email. This has led to cases of censorship from an administration that has occasionally tried to squelch certain details. In October, The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reported that White House officials demanded that reporters cut out pieces of their dispatches, including details of the president’s appearance on “The Tonight Show” and one of Michelle Obama’s trips to the gym.

In both cases, the reporters acquiesced to the changes before the White House sent along the reports to all the recipients of the email list.