During a recent roundtable at the Middle East Institute, a journalist from Dubai-based MBC had some harsh words for the White House press corps, and for Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. We asked Asylum's own White House correspondent, Tommy Christopher to weigh in on her allegations.

Nadia Bilbassy painted a picture of an arrogant press corps that ignores you unless they need something, concluding with the statement, "I think they must have been tortured as kids."

She also complained that the foreign press is treated like "fifth-class citizens," and that she hadn't been called on by Gibbs since the beginning of the Obama administration. As a third-class member of the White House press corps, I can relate to some of Nadia's observations, but I think she's failing to see the big picture.

Nadia's screed made me feel unjustly accused, and immediately put me in mind of the time I covered President Obama's joint press conference with Angela Merkel. I was sitting with CNS reporter Fred Lucas and his intern, and we struck up a conversation with an Al Jazeera English reporter. Now it's true that I've forgotten her name, but that's mainly because I spent part of the conversation wondering if she would agree to do a "Hot Girls, Cool Jobs" segment for us. I decided against it. I'm trying to ease the press office into the concept of an Asylum reporter in the White House.

Still, my point is that we are a friendly bunch. The reporters from the bigger outlets, especially TV, have separate workspaces and breakneck schedules that make it tougher to sit around and chew the fat, but they're approachable and friendly when they've got a free moment. Most of them, anyway.

As residents of those infamous first three rows, they also feel the brunt of the bitterness from the back, who get to watch them leisurely chat with Gibbs for the first half-hour of every briefing, while the rest of us vie for a crumb of a question in the last 10 minutes.

It has been my experience, though, that the foreign press do a pretty good job of getting in their piece. Gibbs is like a teacher with bad eyesight. Sometimes you have to get his attention. While a lot of American correspondents are content to raise their hands and pray to get called on, many foreign reporters will just brazenly push their way in with a question by pretending Gibbs called on them. One time, in fact, a Russian reporter filled Gibbs in on details of a presidential trip.

My point, Nadia, is that we're all in this together. Next time you see me at the White House, come say "Hi." If I seem distracted, it's probably because I'm still trying to avoid any embarrassing faux pas, so be patient with me.