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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has warned that the White House briefing room could soon undergo a significant overhaul, leading to concern from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA).
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the WHCA is an independent organization of journalists established in 1914 to ensure fair access to the president and uphold press freedom within the White House. It operates separately from the government and is run by a board of journalists elected by its members (the current board includes reporters from Fox, CBS, Politico, Reuters, & ABC). The WHCA is responsible for organizing the Briefing Room’s seating chart and managing the rotating press pool that covers the president’s daily activities.
What’s going on now: Over the weekend, the WHCA confirmed it was aware of reports that the Trump administration is considering taking over the seating assignments in the briefing room. The WHCA said it was concerned that this move would represent a major shift in the relationship between the press and the presidency, accusing the White House of attempting to seize control over how the “independent media” organizes itself. In a statement to its members, the WHCA board warned that the effort could allow the administration to punish or sideline critical outlets by manipulating access and visibility during press briefings.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that changes to the briefing room layout are under consideration, with additional reports suggesting that she could become the WHCA’s President. Leavitt has argued that the current system is outdated and unfairly dominated by legacy media organizations and called the WHCA a group of “DC-based elitists.”
Two different views: Some argue that the WHCA must maintain these roles out of concern that allowing the White House to control who covers the president could compromise journalistic independence. Others claim the WHCA has too much power and unfairly limits access to non-traditional media outlets with similarly large audiences.
