On Tuesday (15), the White House announced the end of the traditional access of the Pool for news agencies, in response to a decision of a Federal Court that ordered the end of discrimination of points of view against Associated Press (AP).
This change will result in a significant reduction in access that journalists from AP, Reuters e Bloomberg News They had to the press pool, which covers the president in places like the Oval Hall and aboard the Air Force One, where the space is restricted.
“For decades, the daily presence of news services in the press has ensured that investors and voters, both in the United States and around the world, could count on accurate and real-time reports about the president’s statements and actions,” said John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg. “We deeply regret the decision to remove this permanent level of investigation and responsibility.”
A Associated Press It sued the Trump government in February when the White House began to restrict the agency’s reporters and photographers after the news service refusal to update its style guide to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as “Gulf of America” in compliance with an executive order of Trump.
Last week, Judge Trevor McFadden, nominated by Trump, decided that the White House could not prevent the news service from covering the president in restricted areas due to his editorial decision. However, McFadden also stated that he was not explicitly ordered that the AP It was reinstated to the pool, but only that it should be treated similarly to other agencies.
The White House is appealing to this decision, but failed to convince the US Appeals Court for the DC circuit to fulfill a request to temporarily suspend McFadden’s decision.
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In response, the Trump government and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt decided to reshape the pool. Under new guidelines announced on Tuesday, news services-which traditionally attend all presidential events-will now only be “eligible for selection” to cover the events.
“The agencies will be eligible to participate in the pool, regardless of the substantial point of view they express,” Leavitt said in a statement.
Although the White House has eliminated the spaces dedicated to news services, it will keep specific places for a printed reporter, a television network team and radio journalists. Spaces will also be available to a “New Media” journalist, a secondary television network or streaming service, as well as four photojournalists.
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The White House said that although it intends to maintain a rotation, Leavitt “will have the daily agency to determine the composition of the pool.”
“This is necessary to ensure that the president’s message reaches the target audiences and that agencies with expertise in relevant matters are present as events demand,” she explained.
The president of the White House Correspondent Association, Eugene Daniels, commented that changes in the disposition of pool “demonstrate that the White House is just using a new method to perform the same action: retaliation against news organizations for coverage that do not please administration.”
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