White House says it 'will determine' which news outlets cover Trump, rotating traditional ones

The White House recently announced that it will adjust the way reporters interview President Trump, with White House officials "deciding" which news organizations can cover the president up close in the future. This move, which is in stark contrast to the tradition of oversight reporting by a press corps composed of independent news organizations for the past century, has sparked widespread attention.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the adjustment will rotate traditional media organizations and include some streaming service platforms. She claimed that this move is aimed at modernizing the news media, making it more inclusive, and "returning access to the American people who elected Trump." However, media experts have expressed concerns that this move may raise First Amendment issues, as the president will personally select the media outlets that cover him. This raises questions about potential bias and the integrity of the information disseminated to the public.

Leavitt said at a daily briefing: "In this administration, the White House press team will decide who has the privilege and limited access to interviews in places like Air Force One and the Oval Office." She added: "A small group of reporters based in Washington, D.C. should no longer monopolize access to the White House." Leavitt also stated that the White House will "double down" on its decision to ban the Associated Press from many presidential events, which runs counter to the practice of sharing presidential remarks and events with a press corps composed of reporters from various platforms for more than a century, a corps that would pass information to media and congressional offices that could not attend the close-up events. The implications of this decision could significantly alter the way news is gathered and reported from the White House.

White House Correspondents' Association President Eugene Daniels said that the association has been expanding its membership and rotation to promote the inclusion of emerging media. He issued a statement saying: "This action tears at the independence of American press freedom, suggesting the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free nation, leaders do not pick their own news organizations." The Committee to Protect Journalists called the move a "drastic change in the way the public gets information about its government." The organization's president, Bruce Brown, said in a statement: "The White House press corps exists to serve the public, not the office of the president."

Previously, a federal judge declined to immediately order the White House to restore the Associated Press's right to attend many presidential events. The Associated Press sued Leavitt and two other White House officials, citing the First Amendment, on the grounds that the Associated Press was banned from some presidential events because it refused to follow Trump's order to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." The Associated Press stated that its style would retain the name "Gulf of Mexico," but would also note Trump's decision. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden said that the Associated Press had not demonstrated that it had suffered irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider the two-week ban, saying that the circuit court's case law was "of no help to the White House." McFadden's ruling is only temporary, and he told lawyers for the Trump administration and the Associated Press that the issue needs more exploration before a ruling can be made. Another hearing is scheduled for late March. The Associated Press Stylebook is used by international audiences as well as domestic audiences in the United States. The Associated Press said its guidelines are designed to improve clarity. Another executive order from Trump was to change the name of America's largest mountain from Denali back to Mount McKinley, a move that was also recognized by the Associated Press Stylebook. The Associated Press said Trump had the right to do so because the mountain is entirely within the country under his jurisdiction.