WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
What happened
The White House Correspondents' Association Monday strongly objected to the Trump administration's reported plans to take control over which journalist sits where during White House press briefings. The WHCA has determined the seating chart for news organizations in the briefing room for decades.
Who said what
The WHCA board said Monday that the White House wanted "control of the briefing room" to "exert pressure on journalists over coverage they disagree with." The Trump administration should "abandon this wrongheaded effort" and show they are not "afraid to explain their policies and field questions from an independent media free from government control," the board said.
Some members of the White House press corps had been "looking for ways to de-escalate" tensions with Trump, said Axios. The WHCA agreed in February to "cede control of the White House press pool" and on Saturday "canceled comedian Amber Ruffin's planned performance" at the association's upcoming annual gala after the Trump administration complained, Politico said.
What next?
The usurpation of seating assignments would "amount to another encroachment" by Trump's team into the "day-to-day procedures of the journalists who cover them," The New York Times said. A White House official told Axios the goal wasn't "merely favorable coverage" but also to reflect "how media is consumed today," giving more prominence to "influencers" and digital media.