The Trump administration has targeted independent media in the U.S. by barring the Associated Press, seizing control of the press pool and kicking out other longstanding members of the press corps from covering White House events.
The Associated Press sued the administration, saying its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech. The White House has said it’s barring the AP because the news agency won’t change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump decreed in January with an executive order.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it would decide which journalists participate in the White House press pool, breaking nearly a century of practice in which the independent White House Correspondents’ Association oversaw a rotating group of news outlets that cover the president in Washington on trips. The WHCA is made up of hundreds of news outlets and works to ensure press access to the president so journalists can accurately convey what’s happening in Washington to the American people. The WHCA condemned the move, saying “This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”
The NewsGuild-CWA and other journalism organizations have also condemned the actions of the Trump administration.
Join us for a discussion with leaders from The NewsGuild-CWA, Canadian Media Guild, Unifor, National Writers Union and the International Federation of Journalists at 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. GMT on Tuesday, March 4 on Zoom.
