Trump administration applies more hurt to White House press corps

In yet another hostile move against the press, the Trump administration instituted a new rule restricting press access to the White House. The rule requires journalists to be at the White House for at least 90 days in a 180-day period to receive a “hard pass” that allows them to enter White House ground without asking for permission each time. No member of the press met that requirement. Reporters can apply for exceptions, but some have been rejected, notable those critical of the president.  (Columbia Journalism Review, May 9, 2019, by Mathew Ingram)

Washington Post’s Dana Milbank was one of the reporters denied an exception. Wrote Milbank, “Trump’s elimination of briefings and other changes have devalued White House coverage anyway. But there’s something wrong with a president having the power to decide which journalists can cover him.” Press secretary Sarah Sanders said the new rule originated with the Secret Service who worried that there were too many hard passes. (Huffington Post, May 9, 2019, by Nick Visser)