Under the new policy, wire services compete with dozens of printing outlets for two rotating spots.
The Trump administration is changing rules governing which journalists are allowed close access to the president.
For decades, the three organizations enjoyed the privilege of consistently observing the president’s activities and raising questions in intimate environments, such as those riding an oval office or Air Force 1. In contrast, reporters from other newspapers, magazines and digital publications took part in a wider “print pool” rotation to access these restricted venues.
From now on, wire services will have to fold into its general rotation and compete for those opportunities just like any other outlet. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “We assign press pool slots every day regardless of the substantive perspective expressed by the outlet.
“Although eligible outlets generally rotate through these slots, White House spokespersons shall retain their daily discretion to determine the composition of the pool,” the White House press agency said in a memo summarizing the changes. “This is necessary to ensure that the president’s message reaches targeted audiences and that outlets with expertise on the relevant subject exist as warrants for the event.”
The reconstructed daily press pool includes lead print journalists designated as “print pullers”, additional printing journalists, television network crews, secondary television or streaming outlets, one radio journalist, “new media” or independent journalists, and four photographers.
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Leavitt, according to the memo, “reserves the right to add additional journals (ISTs) to the expanded pool based on capacity and daily needs.”
The memo did not specify when the changes would take effect, but it was already clear in the press conference schedule on Wednesday. The conservative outlet Washington Times and Daily Signals each had no special slots reserved for three major wire services.
The move has attracted strong criticism from all three wire services, claiming that the administration is retaliating against them for unfavorable compensation.
John Mickleswaite, The Bloomberg editor-in-chief reflected these concerns in a statement.
“We deeply regret the decision to remove that permanent level of scrutiny and accountability,” he said.
Since February, Associated Press reporters and photographers have been banned from oval offices and Air Force events after refusing to adopt the official rename for the Gulf of Mexico’s US Gulf.
“We do not require that all eligible journalists, or in fact, have access to presidential or non-public government spaces, and we do not prohibit government officials from freely choosing which journalists to sit for interviews or who will answer which questions they will answer.
“The court cannot simply close the door to other journalists under the First Amendment if the government opens doors to some journalists, oval offices, East rooms or other places under those perspectives. The Constitution is not less than that.”
