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The White House on Wednesday denied reporters from the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and HuffPost access to President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting, a move that has intensified concerns about press freedom under the administration.
According to Reuters, an AP photographer and three reporters from Reuters, HuffPost, and the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel were not permitted to attend the event. Meanwhile, television crews from ABC and Newsmax, along with correspondents from Axios, The Blaze, Bloomberg News, and NPR, were granted access. The decision appears to align with the administration’s recent policy shift on media coverage.
White House Takes Control of Press Pool
This comes just a day after the Trump administration announced its decision to take control of the White House press pool, effectively removing the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) from its traditional role in determining which journalists cover the president in intimate settings. The change marks a significant departure from a more than 70-year-old precedent, wherein independent journalists—not government officials selected the rotating pool of reporters who travel with the president and report from the Oval Office and other key locations.
The White House said Wednesday its officials “will decide” which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close, breaking from a tradition where an independently chosen press pool follows the president and holds him accountable on behalf of the American public. pic.twitter.com/kNNu01TN6M
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— The Associated Press (@AP) February 25, 2025
White House Defends Policy Change
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the move during a press briefing on Tuesday, describing it as a step toward democratizing media access. “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,” Leavitt stated. “Not anymore. Today, I was proud to announce that we are giving the power back to the people.”
Leavitt further noted that while mainstream outlets would continue to have some level of access, the administration would extend coverage opportunities to what she termed “well-deserving outlets” that have historically been excluded, including podcasters and right-wing media organizations.
Media Organizations Condemn the Move
The move has prompted backlash from major news organizations. In a joint statement, Reuters, Bloomberg News, and the Associated Press condemned the decision to restrict AP’s access, arguing that it undermines the principle of open reporting and could limit the public’s access to accurate and reliable news. “It is essential in a democracy for the public to have access to news about their government from an independent, free press,” the three editors stated.
The tensions between the Trump administration and the AP escalated earlier this month when the White House indefinitely barred AP reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One. Officials claimed the action was taken in retaliation for AP’s refusal to amend its style guide to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” in accordance with a directive from Trump.
The White House’s latest move has sparked widespread concern among journalists and media advocates, with some viewing it as an effort to exert greater control over coverage and limit critical reporting. The WHCA has yet to announce its formal response, but press freedom organizations are expected to challenge the administration’s policies in the coming days.
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