Helen Thomas, Reporter Grill Gibbs

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - During the daily press briefing on Wednesday, some reporters asked whether the White House staged questions at President Obama's Wednesday Town Hall meeting on health care.

On its Web site, the White House had asked Americans to submit questions to the president via social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The White House says hundreds of entries were received.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the White House would "screen" submissions -- and pick some for the president to answer at his town hall in Virginia. But at least two reporters told Gibbs this amounted to choosing questions, which would just make Obama look good.

"This is an open forum for the public to ask question," said Chip Reid of CBS News. "But it's not really open?"

"Based on what?" responded Gibbs.

"Based on the information ... on how the audience and the questions are being selected," said Reid.

"How about this: I promise we will interrupt the AP's tradition of asking the first question. I'll let you ask me a question tomorrow on whether you thought the questions at the town hall meeting that the President conducted at Annandale...."

"That's not his point," interrupted Helen Thomas, correspondent for Hearst Newspapers. "That's, that's not his point. His point is the control from here. We have never had that in the White House. I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and control.

"You have left open the suggestion that you are pumping the answers," Thomas continued. "It's shocking. It's really shocking."

"Let's have this discussion at the conclusion of the town hall meeting," Gibbs said.

"No, no, no. We are having it now." claimed Thomas. "It's a pattern. It's a pattern. It isn't the question. It's a pattern of controlling the press."

A week ago, reporters criticized the White House for giving preferential treatment to a blogger from the Huffington Post Web site.

At a presidential news conference, the White House escorted the blogger, who is not normally called on, to the front of the briefing room so he could be the second reporter Obama called on.

Nico Pitney then asked a question on behalf of Iranians who had submitted questions to the Huffington Post.

Watch the entire exchange above.