Karoline Leavitt Announces White House Correspondents’ Association Will No Longer Determine Press Pool
WASHINGTON – The White House announced on Tuesday that its press team will determine which media members are in the White House press pool rather than the White House Correspondents’ Association, which has long done so.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the major shake-up during Tuesday’s briefing.
“As you all know, for decades, a group of DC-based journalists, the White House Correspondents’ Association, has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the president of the United States in these most intimate spaces,” she said. “Not anymore.”
“I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people who read your papers, who watch your television shows, and who listen to your radio stations. Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team,” she added.
Leavitt emphasized that “well-deserving outlets who have” previously been denied access would be given the opportunity to join the pool, while legacy media outlets will still have access.
“As part of these changes, we will continue the rotation amongst the five major television networks to ensure the president’s remarks are heard far and wide around this world. We will add additional streaming services, which reach different audiences than traditional cable and broadcast,” she said.
Leavitt emphasized that outlets would be added “to the print pool rotation who have long been denied the privilege to partake in this experience but are committed to covering this White House beat.”
The move comes after Leavitt announced a seat in the James S. Brady Briefing Room, which was traditionally reserved for White House staff, would be opened up to “new media” during press briefings.
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle and Axios co-founder Mike Allen were the first new media members to sit in the seats for the inaugural press briefing and received the first questions, which traditionally go to the Associated Press.
Leavitt’s announcement comes as the Associated Press filed a restraining order against her, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowhich, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for removing the outlet from the “pool for certain and special events,” as Leavitt noted.
A federal judge denied the restraining order on Monday.
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