Obama Heckled By Reporter At The White House

US President Barack Obama has been heckled by a reporter while making a statement on immigration at the White House.

It is almost unheard of for the president to be interrupted by a reporter in such a way.

Mr Obama was announcing a new policy that gives young illegal immigrants the chance to stay in the United States and apply for work permits.

"Why do you favour foreigners over American workers?" shouted Neil Munro, a reporter for the conservative website The Daily Caller.

Mr Obama was clearly irritated by the disruption and stopped reading from his statement, telling Munro: "It is not time for questions."

Munro later interrupted him again, prompting Mr Obama to say: "I didn't ask for an argument. I'm answering your question."

The reporter was roundly condemned by other members of the White House press corps for breaching a long-standing protocol.

Members of the media frequently shout questions to the president after he has finished reading prepared statements but it is very rare for a journalist to interrupt him.

Munro said: "I always go to the White House prepared with questions for our president. I timed the question believing the president was closing his remarks because naturally I have no intention of interrupting the president of the United States."

But Daily Caller editor-in-chief Tucker Carlson defended Munro, saying: "A reporter's job is to ask questions and get answers.

"Our job is to find out what the federal government is up to. Politicians often don't want to tell us. A good reporter gets the story. We're proud of Neil Munro."

The Daily Caller was founded by Mr Carlson, a conservative commentator, and Neil Patel who was an adviser to former vice president Dick Cheney.

What was lost in the furore was the significance of Mr Obama's announcement. It is a move that is sure to win him support among Hispanic voters in an election year.

It has been a bad few weeks for the president with poor unemployment figures, condemnation for his saying that "the private sector is doing just fine" and allegations his White House has been leaking sensitive information.

Opinion polls have shown Mr Obama running neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Mitt Romney ahead of November's election.