The White House on Wednesday refused reporters of Reuters and other news organizations keeping in mind the new policy of the administration regarding media coverage for President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting.
The White House denied access to three correspondents of an associated press photographer and Reuters, Hafpost and Der Tagspiegel, a German newspaper.
The event was allowed to cover the event with ABC and Newsmax’s TV crew, Exios, The Blaze, Bloomberg News and NPR.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced that the White House would determine which media outlets would cover the President in small places like the Oval Office.
The White House Correspondents Association has traditionally coordinated the rotation of the President’s Press Pool. An international wire service, Reuters has participated in the pool for decades.
White House press secretary Karolin Levitt said that while traditional media organizations will still be allowed to cover Trump on day-to-day basis, the administration plans to replace the participant in small places. The Pool System administered by WHCA allowed selected television, radio, wire, prints and photo journalists to cover events and share their reporting with comprehensive media.
Three wire services traditionally serve as permanent members of the White House Pool, AP, Bloomberg and Reuters, on Wednesday issued a statement in response to the new policy.
Services have “long worked to ensure that the exact, fair and timely information about the presidency is informed to the broader audiences of both the United States and globally. Most of the White House coverage sees in their local news outlets, where they are in the world, come from the wires,” Saying in the statement of three organizations.
“It is necessary for the public to get access to news about their government from an independent, independent press.”
Hafpost called the White House decision a violation of the first amendment for the freedom of the press.
Der TagesPiegel did not immediately respond to the request for comments.
On Tuesday, WHCA also released a statement opposing the new White House policy.
The step follows the decision of the Trump administration, which prevents the Associated Press from being in the pool as it refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, the name of Trump has submitted to the body of water, or updated to the steelbuke that follows it to reflect such change.
Lewit stated that the five major cables and broadcasting television networks would continue to keep their rotation seats in the pool, while the White House would add streaming services. Print reporters and radio reporters will continue to rotate, while new outlets and radio hosts will be added.
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