Trump Sidesteps Judge’s Ruling by Axing All Wire Services From the White House Press Pool

Locked in a battle with the Associated Press over access to the president, the White House has come up with a novel way to circumvent a federal judge’s order: Banish wire services altogether.In a ruling earlier this month, a U.S. District judge, Trevor McFadden, ordered the White House to reinstate the AP’s full access to presidential press events, effective April 8, citing the First Amendment.“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere — it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” Judge McFadden wrote. Instead of letting the AP back into the small pool of reporters who get access to the president, the Trump administration has instead removed all wire positions from the daily press corps.The AP immediately objected to the move, saying in a statement on Tuesday night: “The administration’s actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation. This is a grave disservice to the American people.”For many years, three wire services served in the White House press pool: the AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg. The pool covers events in the Oval Office or aboard Air Force One, as well as other venues in which a large contingent of press won’t fit. In addition to the wires, there were always four photographers, a TV correspondent and crew, and reporters from print and radio outlets.In an email sent to White House reporters every day providing daily guidance and a schedule for the press, there were no wire services listed in Wednesday’s rota — no Reuters, no Bloomberg, no AP. Instead, the White House added three new slots: “Secondary TV correspondent and crew,” “secondary print,” and “new media.”The latest move, announced in a White House memo on Tuesday, said wire services will now be slotted into one of the two expanded “print journalist” seats. “Outlets will be eligible for participation in the Pool, irrespective of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet,” the memo said.Reuters issued its own statement, saying, “It is essential to democracy that the public have access to independent, impartial, and accurate news about their government. Any steps by the U.S. government to limit access to the President threatens that principle, both for the public and the world’s media.”Mr. Trump banned the AP after the wire service refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” despite an Executive Order issued by Mr. Trump. The AP sued three administration officials, claiming the White House has violated the Constitution’s free press protections by trying to control the language the AP uses in its reports.Judge McFadden on Friday rejected Mr. Trump’s request for more delay in implementing the ruling, which prompted the White House to appeal in its court filings over the weekend. “No other news organization in the United States receives the level of guaranteed access previously bestowed upon the AP,” the administration argued. “The AP may have grown accustomed to its favored status, but the Constitution does not require that such status endure in perpetuity.”While the AP was banned, its reporters and photographers often show up at events to try to gain access.The White House press pool has been managed for decades by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which says it is an independent organization that represents the press. In February, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the White House would be taking control of who serves in the pool. The WHCA said in response: “In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”The WHCA’s power has grown over the years, mostly with the acquiescence of the sitting president. The association also decides who gets a seat in the briefing room — and where they sit. The front row has long been held by the main television networks and the top wire services, with conservative publications often relegated to the back rows — if they get a seat at all. The White House is reportedly looking to rejigger the seating chart.On Tuesday, the White House said Mr. Trump will not attend the association’s annual dinner, a lavish affair that draws more than 2,000 to a massive ballroom in a Washington, D.C., hotel. The White House is reportedly considering its own competing event.

Trump Sidesteps Judge’s Ruling by Axing All Wire Services From the White House Press Pool

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