White House issues new guidelines, notably excluding dedicated spot for AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, according to media report
The Trump administration has decided to eliminate The Associated Press' (AP) place in the White House press pool, instead of reinstating the news organization as ordered by a federal judge, according to media reports Wednesday.
The move appears aimed at complying with the court ruling while still sidelining the AP, which President Donald Trump criticized earlier this year for continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America,” CNN reported.
The change will significantly affect newswire clients, particularly local news outlets that depend on the AP and other wire services for nonpartisan White House coverage, as they often do not have reporters in Washington.
At the center of the issue is the “press pool” -- a small, rotating group of journalists who travel with the president and cover restricted-access events for the broader media, including Oval Office appearances and impromptu Q&As aboard Air Force One.
Historically, pool assignments were managed by the White House Correspondents' Association. But in February, Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, took control of the pool, bypassing the independent group.
While most outlets have kept their rotation spots, Leavitt added several new positions, often favoring pro-Trump media outlets over traditional ones.
The White House issued formal guidelines Tuesday for pool access, which notably excluded a designated position for wire services such as the AP, Reuters and Bloomberg, according to CNN.
Wire services must now compete for two general print slots alongside many outlets -- meaning far less consistent access than they previously had, when all three were in the pool every day.
