Leavitt takes over White House press pool: What it means for reporters

On Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt, the 27-year-old press secretary, made a big move that shocked the press world. The White House will now decide which reporters are allowed into exclusive spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One. This announcement marks a huge shift in how the media interacts with the administration. Leavitt argues that this change will allow more outlets to join the press pool, bringing the administration’s story to the public in a more inclusive way.

Changing the rules of the press pool

For years, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) controlled the press pool. This group decided which journalists would get the coveted spots to cover the president in the most intimate settings. But that’s all changing now. The White House will no longer rely on the WHCA to choose who gets in. Instead, Leavitt and her team will make the call. The goal is to open up more opportunities for different outlets to cover the administration’s actions. According to Leavitt, this will help get the president’s story out to more people, making sure that new voices are heard.

The White House takes control

Leavitt was clear in her announcement. The White House will control the press pool, not the WHCA. For decades, the WHCA decided who could ask questions in the most restricted spaces. This was done to ensure fairness and avoid bias. But now, the White House is taking matters into its own hands. “Not anymore,” Leavitt said firmly. She explained that the White House’s press team would now choose who gets the press pool seats. While some traditional outlets will still be included, the change opens the door to new media outlets and fresh voices.

Shifting the press pool yynamics

Leavitt explained that the White House will invite a variety of reporters into the pool. It will include a TV crew, a print reporter, and a radio journalist, but it will also make room for more. The White House plans to give space to outlets that were previously excluded. Leavitt emphasized that reporters should ask meaningful, substantive questions. “We want reporters who are suited to cover the news and ask important questions,” she said. This approach shifts the focus to increasing the diversity of perspectives covering the administration’s activities.

Pushback from the WHCA

The announcement did not sit well with the White House Correspondents’ Association. Eugene Daniels, the current president of the WHCA, voiced strong opposition. Daniels claimed that the new policy undermines the independence of the press. He argued that it allows the White House to choose which reporters get access to the president, a move that could jeopardize journalistic integrity. “Leaders shouldn’t be able to pick their own press corps,” he said. The WHCA has long advocated for fairness and equal access to the press, and Daniels believes this change compromises those principles.

The Associated Press takes legal action

In response to the White House’s decision, the Associated Press (AP) quickly filed a lawsuit. The AP claims that their exclusion from the press pool violates their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit argues that the White House is retaliating against the AP for editorial choices, specifically a disagreement over the term “Gulf of America.” The AP’s legal team has called the move a direct attack on the press’s ability to report freely. A federal judge recently declined to intervene temporarily, but the AP is continuing the fight. The WHCA has also filed an amicus brief in support of the AP’s case.

The Trump influence: A pattern emerges

This isn’t the first time a Republican administration has restricted media access. During President Trump’s time in office, the AP excluded itself from the press pool after refusing to change its style guide regarding the “Gulf of America” term. Leavitt’s announcement follows that precedent, raising concerns that this could be a deliberate effort to limit media coverage. Critics argue that it reflects a broader trend of excluding or choosing media outlets based on their alignment with the administration’s views. This shift could make it harder for the public to receive an unbiased account of the president’s actions.

New media gets a seat at the table

One of the key changes in Leavitt’s announcement is the inclusion of new media voices. In her first briefing, Leavitt said that a seat previously reserved for White House staff would now go to a “new media” representative. This means more moderate start-ups, popular podcasters, and conservative media personalities could get a chance to report on the president. Leavitt believes that this will help diversify the media landscape and bring fresh perspectives into the press pool. She sees this as a way to bring the administration’s story to new audiences, beyond traditional outlets.

Reactions from media personalities

The media world is divided on this decision. Fox News Channel’s Jacqui Heinrich, a WHCA board member, publicly criticized the White House’s move. She argued that this decision doesn’t return power to the people—it gives power to the White House. Heinrich explained that the WHCA, which is democratically elected, has long managed the press pool to ensure fairness. She believes that only reporters from established outlets can determine how resources are distributed to cover the president effectively.

Meanwhile, former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer took to social media to blame the WHCA’s Eugene Daniels for the media shake-up. Spicer pointed out that Daniels invited comedian Amber Ruffin to headline the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which many conservatives saw as politically biased. According to Spicer, this decision led to the White House taking action to change how media access is handled.

The White House celebrates its victory

Despite the backlash, the White House is standing by its decision. During a recent briefing, Leavitt proudly displayed an image of the “Gulf of America” stamped with the word “VICTORY.” This gesture shows that the administration sees the media shake-up as a win. Leavitt and her team are confident that this change will benefit the American people by allowing more outlets to cover the president’s actions in a way that reflects a broader range of voices.