The White House announced this Friday, October 31, that it will restrict journalists’ access to a part of its press office to better protect “sensitive information,” in a context of tensions between major media outlets and Donald Trump’s administration.
Many of the journalists accredited to the White House have offices inside the building. Until now, they could freely go to two spaces where employees of the White House press service work to request information or reactions.
Restrictions at the Pentagon
Journalists’ access to the first space, located near the Oval Office and which houses the office of spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and other press service officials, is now subject to prior appointment.
A second part, where the other press officials work and located near the press conference room, is always free access for journalists, the White House note states.
He specifies that due to an internal reorganization, members of the White House communications team “constantly interact with sensitive information.” This new restriction therefore aims to “protect this information and maintain coordination between the National Security Council and communications teams,” the note reads.
This announcement comes two weeks after the US Department of Defense imposed a ban on accredited journalists from requesting or publishing certain information without the department’s explicit authorization. Most media outlets with a reporter present, from the New York Times to Fox News to AFP, rejected these new conditions and their journalists thus abandoned their offices in the Pentagon.
Since January, the White House has also modified the operation of the small group of journalists in charge of closely following the president, excluding in particular the AP press agency, the central pillar of the press in the country.
He also opened access to his press conferences to a galaxy of influencers, many of whom make no secret of their support for Donald Trump. The president, who described traditional media as “enemies of the people” during his first term, regularly attacks journalists critical of his administration and has initiated several legal proceedings.
Source: BFM TV
