With Transparency Camp 2010 just a few days away, the White House is taking heat from reporters over banning independent photographers from a recent event.

“What about allowing us in, for openness and transparency?” a reporter asked, to which [White House Press Secretary] Gibbs shot back, “We’ll have a nice picture from Pete that will demonstrate that type of transparency.”

Gibbs’ response evoked a few howls of protest in the briefing room. Reporters pointed out that a picture doesn’t carry the same information as a pool report produced by journalists who are routinely brought in to witness presidential events.