The Trump administration terminated the regular White House press pool access for three independent newswires, including the Associated Press (AP), marking a significant departure from decades-long precedent. This action follows a broader pattern of the administration attempting to control its media coverage.
The decision comes amid an ongoing legal conflict with the AP. A federal judge recently ruled that the White House's ban on AP journalists covering small-scale presidential events violated the First Amendment. The White House has since appealed the ruling.
The presidential press pool provides select reporters exclusive access to more private presidential engagements. The change removes the previously independent White House Correspondents’ Association’s control over the pool's composition, resulting in the White House directly deciding which news outlets get privileged access.
Critics, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, argue that the administration’s actions undermine press freedom and the public’s right to receive diverse news coverage. This is seen as an attempt by the government to selectively choose which media organizations report on its activities.
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would no longer reserve a regular slot in the presidential press pool for three independent newswires that have participated for decades, including The Associated Press.
The move is the latest effort by the White House to exert more control over the dedicated press corps that reports on its day-to-day activities. It was also a new wrinkle in an unfolding legal battle with The A.P., whose journalists have been barred for the past two months from covering small-scale events with the president.
A federal judge said last week that the White House had to restore full access to A.P. journalists, ruling that the administration’s ban amounted to a violation of the First Amendment. The White House has appealed, and a hearing is set for Thursday.
The presidential press pool is a small, rotating group of reporters who are granted access to more intimate events with the president, such as Oval Office receptions, and relay the proceedings to other journalists and the broader public. It is a logistical accommodation for smaller spaces that cannot fit dozens of reporters, and an opportunity for journalists to interact up close with the president and ask him direct questions.
In February, breaking decades of bipartisan precedent, the administration said it would begin handpicking the members of the pool, wresting control from the independent White House Correspondents’ Association, which decried the move. “In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps,” the group said at the time.
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