Journalists claim methods of selecting reporters are antithetical to a free press.
Members of the White House Press Corp have written a letter to the president’s administration asking that they “re-open all of the traditional venues for presidential remarks at the White House, including the East Room and the South Court Auditorium, for any reporter admitted to the White House campus.”
The letter says the president’s staffers have not been transparent with the White House Correspondents’ Association about the selection criteria for reporters. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she didn’t know how reporters are selected to attend events. When asked about the selection process last year, then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “I don’t have any more information on that.”
“The current method of allowing a limited number of reporters into these events is not only restrictive and antithetical to the concept of a free press, but it has been done without any transparent process into how reporters are selected to cover these events,” the letter said.
“The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Biden’s credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment,” it said.
The letter said that it appears the goal is to shield President Biden from reporters who might ask unwelcome questions.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president and his administration as they consider the request from the WHCA for increased transparency.
- For wisdom for the president and his advisors to uphold the First Amendment freedom of speech.
Sources: Western Journal, National Review
