Kathmandu. The White House has changed its media policy. The new policy does not include international news agencies such as Reuters, Bloomberg and The Associated Press from the White House press bridge. These news agencies will no longer have a permanent place in the press bridge.
The White House Press Bridge is a group of about 10 media organisations. This includes journalists and photographers. These individuals cover every small and big activity of the President. Other media organizations rely on media organizations included in the press bridge for coverage related to the president.
After this policy change, it will now be very difficult for international media organizations to reach the US president. Responding to the White House decision, international media organizations have called it an attempt to control press coverage. Which can affect free journalism and freedom of expression.
Under the new policy, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt will now decide which journalists or media organisations can ask President Donald Trump questions. The policy will also apply to the Oval Office of the White House, the press briefing room and the president’s special aircraft Air Force One.
The White House Press Bridge began in the 1950s during the tenure of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. A crowd of journalists gathered at the White House to cover the president. To address this, a group of 10 journalists or media organizations was formed. It was called The Press Bridge. This meant that only journalists included in the press bridge were allowed to enter the White House press briefing, the Oval Office (the Office of the Us President) and Air Force One. It was up to the White House Reporters’ Association (WHCA) to decide which media houses or journalists would stay on the press bridge.
The White House Reporters’ Association is an independent organization of journalists. It was established in 1914. The rest of the media organizations rely on these news agencies for updates, photos, videos and audio related to the US President. The association was tasked with selecting journalists or media organisations to be included in the press bridge so that the White House could not select journalists in a biased manner and everyone could get fair information. That is, it was the union’s responsibility to ensure that no president included only his favorite media organizations or journalists in the press bridge. However, the role of this 111-year-old association is now over.
Press Secretary Levitt said her team would now select members of the press bridge on a daily basis. “The aim is to bring President Donald Trump’s message to the right audiences and place experts on every issue on the press bridge,” she said. ’
Levitt said podcasters, social media influencers and news content creators will also be given opportunities at the press bridge. She also claimed that it would bring more diversity to the press bridge.
This decision of the White House is considered an attack on press freedom. News agencies such as the AP, Reuters and Bloomberg said, “Our news reaches billions of people every day.” The U.S. government’s move will erode people’s right to choose their own sources for free and accurate information. – Agency
