WASHINGTON: The Republican camp is targeting Barack Obama stating that he is trying to avoid serious questions from the press, charging that the US President was choosing to talk to entertainment channels rather than giving interviews to mainstream media or holding press conferences.

"Why is Obama avoiding the White House Press Corps?" asked an advertisement released by the Romney Campaign yesterday, which said that the US President has been giving interviews to ESPN, Entertainment Tonight, People Magazine and FM radio stations around the country, mostly to local sports.

The television advertisement released by the Romney campaign mocks Obama, who is seeking a re-election, for answering lighter questions on food and other issues.

"This is not a parody. Actual interview with President Obama," it says.

It was on June 8 that the US President last held his official press conference with the White House Press Corps. He also took a press conference in June at the G-20 summit, and has also held a few one-on-one interviews since then.

"I don't have any scheduling announcements to make here today about a press conference actually... I don't have anything new in terms of the timing of the news conference," White House Deputy Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters yesterday when asked about Obama's press conference.

Some media reports said that Obama might hold the news conference next week ahead of the Republican Party National Convention in Tampa later this month.

"People get their news in many different ways. Sometimes it's turning on 'Entertainment Tonight' and seeing what the latest news is out there," Obama Campaign spokesperson, Jen Psaki told Politico.

Psaki, according to the news outlet, said Obama will be doing a variety of media appearances in the coming weeks with both national and local outlets, but for now, "We're reaching an audience that may not be paying attention to the day-to-day political back and forth".

Incidentally, the Romney Campaign itself is being criticised for not being much accessible to the press.

During his six-day trip to Europe, Romney was criticised for just taking three questions from the travelling press.

The travelling press secretary yelled and cursed reporters when they began shouting questions to Romney during his trip.