The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will begin handpicking which media outlets were allowed to participate in the presidential press pool, a small, rotating group of reporters who report on the president's daily activities to the public.
The change contradicts decades of precedent. It gives the White House greater control over which media can observe his activities and ask him questions.
The White House Correspondents' Association, a 111-year-old organization that represents journalists who cover the administration, has historically chosen its reporters to participate in the daily pool.
Because presidents frequently hold events in smaller venues, such as the Oval Office, the pool arrangement ensures that the public receives an authentic record of the president's remarks and actions. The pool reporters who witness the events send their findings to the hundreds of other news organizations that cover him.
The pool is often made up of journalists from CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, ABC News, Fox News, and The New York Times.
Tuesday's declaration was the latest in a series of aggressive moves by the Trump administration to limit the access and influence of major news organizations covering the White House. It is a significant departure from previous generations of Republican and Democratic presidents, who relied on the White House press corps to decide which reporters had more access.
The administration has prevented reporters from The Associated Press, which provides information to thousands of news organizations worldwide, from entering the Oval Office or flying on Air Force One, sparking a legal dispute.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, stated that the new policy is meant to encourage "new media" outlets, such as digital sites, streaming services, and podcasts, "to share in this awesome responsibility." She went on: "Legacy media outlets who have been here for years will still participate in the pool, but new voices are going to be welcomed in as well."
The White House Correspondents' Association slammed the action in a fiery statement.
"This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States," commented Eugene Daniels, a Politico reporter and the association's president. "It implies that the administration will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a democratic democracy, politicians should not be able to select their press corps."
The association stated that it had received no notice of Ms. Leavitt's announcement and that there had been no prior conversations with the White House. "The W.H.C.A. will never stop advocating for comprehensive access, full transparency, and the right of the American public to read, listen to and watch reports from the White House, delivered without fear or favor," Mr. Daniels wrote in an email.
The Trump administration has recently introduced a "new media" seat to the White House briefing room. In recent weeks, the seat has been taken by journalists who strive for accuracy and impartiality, such as Axios and Semafor reporters, as well as partisan personalities who support the Trump administration, such as podcast presenter Sage Steel.
Ms. Leavitt stated in an announcement about the press pool that "by deciding which outlets make up the limited press pool on a day-to-day basis, the White House will be restoring power to the American people."
Jacqui Heinrich, a senior White House journalist at Fox News, replied to the remark on social media, writing, "This move does not give power back to the people — it gives power to the White House." Ms. Heinrich is a board member of the Correspondents' Association.
A spokesman for The New York Times commented on Tuesday: "The White House's move to handpick favored reporters to observe the president — and exclude anyone whose coverage the administration may not like — is an effort to undermine the public's access to independent, trustworthy information about the most powerful person in America."
A spokesman for The New York Times commented on Tuesday: "The White House's move to handpick favored reporters to observe the president — and exclude anyone whose coverage the administration may not like — is an effort to undermine the public's access to independent, trustworthy information about the most powerful person in America."
The White House frequently evaluates a news organization based on whether its coverage aligns with the administration's agenda.
President Trump’s dispute with The A.P. is based on the news agency’s decision to continue using the name “Gulf of Mexico” to refer to the body of water that Mr. Trump decreed “Gulf of America.” Most of the Gulf of Mexico lies outside the maritime regions controlled by the United States.
At Tuesday’s briefing, however, Ms. Leavitt cited reporting by The A.P. — approvingly. She highlighted A.P. articles about migrants who had decided not to pursue their journeys to the United States.
A First Amendment advocacy group, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said on Tuesday that the move represented “a drastic change in how the public obtains information about its government.”
"The White House press pool exists to serve the public, not the presidency," said Bruce D. Brown, the organization's president.
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