The White House, under the Trump administration, announced changes to the rules governing press access on Tuesday, February 25th. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the existing system, managed by the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), would be altered.
The "pool," a small group of journalists with privileged access to the President, will now include media outlets chosen by the executive branch. Leavitt claimed this change "returns power to the people," asserting that "hundreds" of journalists deserve such access. She clarified that traditional media outlets that have been part of the press pool for decades would still be allowed to participate.
The WHCA, established in 1914, immediately criticized the Trump administration's decision. They stated that it "undermines the independence of the press." Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich, a WHCA board member, argued that the decision "doesn't give power to the people, it gives power to the White House."
This announcement follows a dispute between the White House and the Associated Press (AP). The AP, a long-standing member of the press pool, has reportedly been banned. The White House reportedly objects to the AP's refusal to adopt the new name "Gulf of America" for the Gulf of Mexico, as proposed by Donald Trump.