Trump banishes news agencies from his government plane

The independent reporter association of the White House complained about the first major trip abroad by US President Donald Trump. For the first time, since the government center’s press corps traveled with American presidents abroad, there is no correspondent of a news agency on board the Air Force One, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) criticized in a message.

“The WHCA is worried about this new restriction of the circle of those who can report on the White House and about the continuing retaliation for independent editorial decisions.”

The reporter association pointed out that agencies such as Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Bloomberg supplied thousands of news media and thus reached millions of readers all over the world. Do not take your text reporters in the government aviator is an unprecedented step and a shame to find out what your president did.

In the United States, the president is accompanied by public appearances by the so-called correspondent pool-a selected group of reporters-who share their information with the other colleagues. On trips abroad, a small group of journalists is usually also on board the president’s aircraft. This pool solution is an important support for all journalists reporting on the president. According to years of tradition, television, radio, print media, news portals and agencies were usually represented in the pool.

In mid -April, the White House restricted the access of news agencies to this important circle. Previously, the US agency AP had been excluded by events in the Oval Office of the White House-even after a different judicial instruction. The background is the refusal of the AP to use the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico into “Golf of America” ​​in its reporting.

Representatives of news agencies – usually AP, Reuters and Bloomberg – now have no places in the pool. Instead, these should rotate rotating to print or agency journalists. Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also reserves the last decision on the occupation of the pool. Before Trump took office, this was a matter for the WHCA.

At the same time, the new government grants numerous right -wing media, influencers, bloggers and podcasters, which it describes as “new media”, privileged access to the White House. It is striking that her representatives Trump often ask benevolent questions at press conferences or serve as a keyword for his own explanations without critical.