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That was the obsequious question asked by aNew YorkTimes reporter during one of President Barack Obamas first press conferences, in April 2009.

The media were unperturbed by the presidents rough treatment of the Fourth Estate thus far how his campaign hijacked a press plane, with journalists aboard, flying them to Chicago without the candidate; how the campaignattempted to silence a journalist, Stanley Kurtz, when he revealed the truth of Obamas relationship with former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers; and how Obama aides suggested that the Fairness Doctrine be revived in an effort to shut down vigorous opposition from talk radio.

No Obama was their man, and that was all that needed to be said about press freedom and independence.TheWashington Postgushed overa visit from the President-elect in January 2009:

Barack Obama visited the Washington Post to meet the editorial board and national staff, but his tour of the 5th floor newsroom nearly stopped the presses.

Staff writers, photographers, editors and employees from other departments lined the hallway after word spread that the President-elect would be walking through the newroom.

At about 3:15 p.m., Obama entered through a back hallway and began shaking hands, as professional newsmen and women reached over to shake his hand and take pictures. Obama was trailed by advisor David Axelrod, assistant Reggie Love, Post Chairman Donald Graham, Publisher Katharine Weymouth and Editor Marcus Brauchli.

Throughout the Obama administration, the press did little to stand up for the First Amendment not when Obama froze the White House press pool out of his activities; not when the administration targeted the Associated Press and Fox News reporter James Rosen; not even when President Obama signed the Press Freedom Act but refused to take press questions. Many in the media even cheered Obamas assaults on the First Amendment inCitizens United and Obamacares contraceptive mandate.

So it is difficult, now, to take the mainstreammediaseriously when they warn of dangers to press freedom and the First Amendment from President-elect Trump. As Politico notes, theTimes andWall Street Journaljoined NBC NewsMeet the Press whose host infamously declared the election over on October 8 to express their wariness over the incoming president-elects respect for the First Amendment.

Trump has done nothing to challenge the First Amendment as Hillary Clinton did, directly. He has called for tougher libel laws, such as those that exist in the United Kingdom (alongside a more vigorous opposition press). He has alsofeuded often with journalists,who made no secret of their hostility towards him, andfrequentlydistorted reality in a desperate effort todestroy his campaign.

That is all.

The media will need to be vigilant and vigorous during a Trump administration as they ought to have been during the Obama administration.And it is certainly good news that theTimes, among many other outlets, is finally remembering, after more than eight long years,that part of the medias job is to serve as a check on power.

But guardiansof the First Amendment? Hardly.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the most influential people in news media in 2016. His new book,See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Cant Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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Media Suddenly Find Courage to Stand up for First Amendment