English

Noun

pool spray ‎(plural pool sprays)

1. (US, politics, journalism) An event in which photographers and other members of the news media are allowed to visit briefly with the US President or other top US government officials, especially on the occasion of a meeting with leaders or high-level officials from other countries.^[1]
   • 2002 July 2, Martha Brant, "West Wing Story: Pool-Duty Survival Kit," Newsweek (retrieved 4 March 2015):

     When we are not holding we are most likely "rolling"—hustling to get on a bus to go to things like a "bilat pool spray" (a photo-op of a bilateral meeting between the president and some world leader).

   • 2010 Nov. 13, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Reporter’s Notebook: Heartfelt Moments on an Up-and-Down Global Trip," New York Times (retrieved 4 March 2015):

     First comes the “pool spray,” where the two leaders exchange pleasantries before the cameras.

   • 2014 Nov. 16, David Nakamura, "Watch: President Obama reacts to media scrum in Brisbane," Washington Post (retrieved 4 March 2015):

     At an international summit . . . [t]he press is let in only for a few moments at the beginning or the end in what is known as a "pool spray." Sometimes the world leaders say a few words; other times, they pretend not to notice the reporters and keep interacting in a stilted way.

See also

• photo opportunity

References

1. ↑ See, for example, "White House Memo" by Peter Baker (New York Times, Feb. 3, 2010): Pool spray is the term for an event where a representative pool of journalists is brought in to record the president meeting with a foreign leader or discussing a policy initiative.