A fake press conference staged by the US Federal Emergency Management Agencyhas claimed its first victim. Last week FEMA held a press conference on the California fires with 15 minutes notice and therefore no reporters present (CNN, Time, and everyone else). In the absence of the fourth estate the agency’s own staff asked less-than-difficult questions.

John Philbin, FEMA’s public relations chief last week, will now not be taking up a new role at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Philbin has admitted he realised there were no reporters at last week’s conference. “I should have jumped up regardless of how awkward it would had been and said, ‘Wait a minute, time out’,” he said (NY Times).

FEMA’s administrator David Paulison has put out a statement apologising “for the inexcusable actions and remarkably bad judgment exhibited”. Whether this is enough to save heads from rolling remains to be seen. FEMA was already unpopular after its perceived mishandling of the New Orleans disaster and the US press are lining up to take shots at them.

– Rochester Democrat and Chronicle calls it “new evidence of FEMA ineptness”.

– SF Chronicle reckons “This was a doozy even by the standards of an administration that has created a culture of contempt for the role of the press in the workings of democracy.”

– The Fort Worth Star Telegram says “Halloween came early at FEMA.”

– Updating on developments MSNBC ends with a low blow: “No press conferences are scheduled at this time.”

Currently no one is suggesting that this was all done deliberately rather than merely by incompetence, Hanlon’s Razor being called into play again. We called up a press officer we know who said using your own employees to make conferences look busy is common practice, but getting them to ask question is quite another…