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But as long as the President (or any politician, no need to focus on any one) moves away from what is considered public material and towards private interviews, the more damage is done to the dissemination of information.
And as long as the government official manipulates the media to potentially withhold access if the media does something the official doesn't or won't like (like releasing information that is unfavorable - even information that is unfavorable which does not contain the likeness of the official) the more likely the media will not provide access to that information.
Media is becoming more and more in a position of subservience to the Gov't.
At this point, there is little pressure on the media to push back on the Gov't. As long as media continues to get bigger and more powerful, there will be no reason for them to push back. Gov't helps create a bigger and more powerful media by allowing such degrees of consolidation and ownership of information.
Assuredly there is no simple solution, but accepting the situation as it is will only eat away more at the principles of freedom of speech and democracy. As you said, the Internet is a marginal fix - I don't see it as a hole in the dam, I see it more as a force that slows down but ultimately fails to stop the current progression.
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