White House Limits Reporters’ Access to Press Secretary’s Office
The Trump administration on Friday took another step to micromanage the news gathering activities of journalists who work from the White House, the latest move in a gradual crackdown that has broken with decades of precedent.
For generations, White House reporters have been allowed to roam freely from the press briefing room into a warren of offices in the West Wing, known as “Upper Press,” that houses the press secretary and other senior press aides. Journalists could ask impromptu questions of administration officials and, during breaking news, quickly obtain information for their audiences.
That access abruptly ended on Friday, according to a White House memorandum that prohibited journalists from accessing Upper Press without a prior appointment. The administration cited security concerns over “sensitive material” related to the National Security Council that is now handled by the press office staff.
“This policy will ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material,” the memo said. The memo also asserted that Upper Press was “adjacent to the Oval Office”; in fact, it is a few rooms away.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
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