US press group warns White House against controlling media access

HAMILTON, Canada

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) on Monday criticized the Trump administration's plan to take over seating assignments in the White House briefing room.

"The White House should abandon this wrong-headed effort and show the American people they're not afraid to explain their policies and field questions from an independent media free from government control," the WHCA said in a statement.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday afternoon that her press team is "seriously considering" taking over seat assignments in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

"We’ve made a lot of changes across the board that have benefited the American public to how this White House is covered," Leavitt said during a Fox News interview, calling the Correspondents' Association "a group of DC-based elitists."

The Axios news outlet first reported on the plans.

The WHCA warned that if the White House proceeds, it will be clear the administration is trying to "cynically seize control of the system through which the independent press organizes itself," making it easier to "exact punishment on outlets over their coverage.".

The WHCA refuted the idea that the current seating arrangement excludes certain outlets, and said that it has "always been and will always be open to professional outlets covering the White House."

It said that of its 296 member organizations, 45 are digital-only, 29 are "new media" founded since 2000, and 29 are local US outlets.

"The most obvious end result of this reported plan is the punishment, not elevation, of journalists," the association added, citing similar actions at the Pentagon where outlets were removed for critical coverage.

The WHCA reiterated its willingness to engage with the White House on expanding press access, saying: "If the White House is interested in a constructive relationship with the journalists that cover them, the solution isn't complicated."

*Michael Hernandez contributed to this report from Washington