Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg News Condemn ‘Any Steps’ to ‘Limit’ Wire Access to White House in Joint Statement
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Top editors for Reuters, the Associated Press (AP), and Bloomberg News united to condemn “any steps” taken to “limit” wire access to the White House press pool in a rare joint rebuttal of President Donald Trump’s White House.
The move comes one day after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday that the administration itself will now decide which media organizations gain entry to key presidential events, a major shake-up that strips the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) of its longtime role in determining which outlets get a seat.
The WHCA, which has overseen press pool rotations for over a century, slammed the decision as one that “tears at the independence of a free press.” The change also comes as the Associated Press fights to regain access after being blocked from presidential events.
Leavitt positioned the overhaul as an effort to make room for “new media”—including streaming platforms and podcasts—while maintaining space for “legacy outlets.”
In response, on Wednesday, three major news wires joined to protest the move:
The three permanent wires in the White House pool, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Reuters, have long worked to ensure that accurate, fair and timely information about the presidency is communicated to a broad audience of all political persuasions, both in the United States and globally. Much of the White House coverage people see in their local news outlets, wherever they are in the world, comes from the wires.
It is essential in a democracy for the public to have access to news about their government from an independent, free press. We believe that any steps by the government to limit the number of wire services with access to the President threatens that principle. It also harms the spread of reliable information to people, communities, businesses and global financial markets that heavily depend on our reporting.
Julie Pace, Executive Editor, The Associated Press
John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg
Alessandra Galloni, Editor-in-Chief, Reuters
The WHCA, founded in 1914, has historically managed press pool logistics, which include representatives from major networks, print outlets, and radio.
