White House asserts control over press pool, sparks uproar
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that she will now decide on the composition of the presidential press pool, which includes media representatives covering the president's activities. Previously, this decision was made by the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA).
This decision was criticized, and the WHCA accused the administration of attacking press independence. During a press briefing, Leavitt said, "It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925."
The change aims to allow reporters from new media outlets access to White House events, previously reserved for a "small group of Washington journalists."
The WHCA, which has been deciding the pool's composition for decades, condemned this decision as an attack on press freedom. "This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States," WHCA President Eugene Daniels said in a statement.
Journalists criticize new policy
Other journalists criticized the decision, including Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, who stated, "This move does not give the power back to the people - it gives power to the White House." The comments also compared Kremlin policies, even though similar practices are employed in other countries.
The change came after the Associated Press was excluded from the pool for refusing to use the new name for the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump had renamed the American Gulf. The AP sued the White House, but a federal judge did not agree to temporarily block the administration's decision. The White House declared this a victory, emphasizing that participation in the pool is a privilege, not a right.
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