Just out of A loss of court On Associated Press’s access to the Presidency, the White House presented on Tuesday a new media policy that sharply reduces access to Donald Trump by news agencies that serve media worldwide. It was the last attempt of the new administration to control the coverage of its activities.
The measure would block the AP and other cable services that serve billions of readers through thousands of media. It occurs after a judge ruled that the White House had violated the freedom of expression of the organization by prohibiting it because it did not agree with the decision of the departure not to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
While describing a new policy of “pool coverage” for small spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, the White House also said that it will finally give the press secretary Karoline Leavitt the last saying about who questions her boss, according to people who have seen the plan.
The White House did not return messages to comment on Tuesday night.
A federal judge dictated last week the White House incorrectly punished the AP for refusing to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico by blocking their reporters and photographers to cover the events. The American district judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered the administration to treat the AP as other news organizations do.
TO day after challenging The McFadden ruling and continuing the prohibition of AP when Trump and the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, met with reporters in the Oval office, the White House leaked a new policy to selected journalists.
For many years, the White House correspondent Association has executed the group for limited space events, and has been included Wire Services AP, Reuters and Bloomberg reporters. A printed reporter was also allowed, selected rotating of more than 30 media.
The White House now says that it will group the services of three cable with printed reporters for two slots, which means that approximately three dozen reporters will rotate for two regular slots. Cable services generally report and write stories that are used in multiple locations throughout the country and the planet.
Even with the rotation, the White House said that Trump’s press secretary “will retain the day -to -day discretion to determine the pool composition.” The new policy says that journalists will also be allowed “regardless of the substantive point of view expressed by an exit.”
In a statement, Lauren Easton of AP said the exit was deeply disappointed that, instead of restoring the AP access, the White House chose restrictions on all wire services.
“Wire services represent thousands of news organizations throughout the United States and worldwide,” said Easton, an AP spokeswoman. “Our coverage is used by local newspapers and television stations in the 50 states to inform their communities.
“Administration’s actions continue to ignore American fundamental freedom to speak without control or reprisals of the government,” Easton said Tuesday night.
The Independent White House correspondent Association said that the insistence of the Administration in retaining control over who covers the president shows that he is not willing to guarantee that he would not continue with the “discrimination of the point of view.”
“The government should not be able to control the independent means that cover it,” said Eugene Daniels, president of the association.
Bajo Leavitt, the White House has given greater access to the friendly media with Trump. That was visible on Tuesday, when the first Leavitt journalist went during an informative session asked two questions and praising Trump’s policy.
At Monday’s Oval office meeting, Trump erred before Kaitlan Collins’ questions about a man deported to a prison in El Salvador, at one point accusing CNN of “hating our country.” He set out to contrast his questions with a non -pointed of another journalist.
Despite the occasional fireworks, Trump has become accessible to the media rather than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. The narrow room events, particularly in the Oval office, are some of their favorite places to speak, which makes the new access policy even more shocking.
The new advanced policy on Tuesday did not address access for photographers. In a previous judicial hearing on the case of the AP, the main photographer of the Outlet’s White House, Evan Vucci, and the Zeke Miller correspondent testified about how the ban has harmed the business of a news agency built to get news and images quickly to its customers.
The dispute derives from AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, although AP style Do you quote Trump’s desire to be called the Gulf of America? McFadden agreed with the argument of AP that the government cannot punish the news organization for what it says, for exercising its right to freedom of expression.
The White House has argued that access to the press to the president is a privilege, not a right, which should control, just as he decides who Trump gives individual interviews. In the judicial documents submitted last weekend, their lawyers pointed out that even with McFadden’s decision, the access days not considered from the AP to open presidential events had ended.
“No other news organization in the United States receives the level of guaranteed access previously granted to the AP,” the administration argued. “The AP may have become accustomed to its favored state, but the Constitution does not require that this state last perpetuity.”
The administration has appealed the McFadden ruling, and is scheduled to be in an appeals court on Thursday to argue that the ruling should be suspended until the merits of the case are completely determined, perhaps by the Supreme Court of the United States.
The administration has not reduced AP access to Leavitt’s information sessions in the last two months. He has blocked access to events in AP journalists accredited to the East Room of White House, until Tuesday, when an event was allowed to involve the Navy team.
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David Bauder writes about the AP media. Follow it in http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social
