You make some great points, Ron. I think Obama‘s embrace of social media has resulted in greater transparency in terms of his personal life, lifting that age-old ‘shroud of secrecy’ you mentioned. This is a great thing. But sharing candid, personal moments of the president can’t supplant the indispensable role of journalism in national politics: informing the public about domestic/foreign policy and holding the powerful accountable. I don’t think the decline in media access is for a lack of digital savvy on behalf of news organizations — even outlets with robust digital operations, like the NY Times, Washington Post, and Slate, have been rebuffed in their effort to gain access to the current administration.

You mentioned that Obama’s willingness to let his guard down and share personal moments is one reason you love him and will miss him. I feel the same way — I’ll miss comparing my bracket to his, seeing him slow-jam the news, and dropping mics at the Correspondents’ Dinner. But if his administration set a new precedent for media access to the White House, the traditional role of journalism in national politics is something I’ll miss much more.