The White House Correspondents Association has accused Donald Trump of “cynically” trying to control the media so he can punish outlets over coverage that he doesn’t like.
The WHCA released a strongly worded statement following reports that the White House wanted to elbow the group aside and take control of the seating arrangements for presidential briefings.
It followed an announcement on Saturday that the association was firing comedian Amber Ruffin from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.
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The decision came after Ruffin triggered a MAGA backlash over her appearance on The Daily Beast Podcast when she told hosts, comedian Samantha Bee and the Beast’s chief content officer Joanna Coles, that the Trump administration was “kind of a bunch of murderers.”
Ruffin said she wasn’t planning to target her jokes at both sides of the aisle as the WHCA instructed her.
WHCA President Eugene Daniels, a political correspondent for MSNBC, said: “At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.”
The move was seen as an attempt to appease the president and his allies.
However, on Monday, Daniels released another statement from the WHCA Board that challenged the White House over the briefing room seating assignments.
“The White House should abandon this wrong-headed effort and show the American people they’re not afraid to explain their policies and field questions from an independent media free from government control,” the statement says.
“But if the White House pushes forward, it will become even more clear that the administration is seeking to cynically seize control of the system through which the independent press organizes itself, so that it is easier to exact punishment on outlets over their coverage.”
“The reason the White House wants control of the briefing room is the same reason they took control of the pool: to exert pressure on journalists over coverage they disagree with,” the statement added.
The WHCA accused the administration of obscuring its intent by claiming it is ushering in new media outlets.
It says it has welcomed dozens of new media over the past two decades, including the Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Newsmax, Daily Caller, The Grio, and others.
“The most obvious end result of this reported plan is the punishment, not elevation, of journalists,” the statement continues.
“It’s the same at the Pentagon, where the administration removed longstanding outlets whose coverage they disagreed with for other outlets that did not regularly cover the building.
“We’ll also add the notion of having the White House press secretary preside over an independent organization of journalists who are negotiating access with the administration is ridiculous.
“No board member or official representative of the WHCA has ever put forward such a non-starter suggestion. If the White House is interested in a constructive relationship with the journalists that cover them, the solution isn’t complicated: first, commit to the government not punishing journalists for the content of their reporting, and second, engage with us on this.”
The statement concludes: “The White House picked this fight and continues to do so.
“Our members want to cover the administration without fear or favor, and stand ready to question government officials from any corner of the Brady Briefing Room.
“Finally, let’s be clear about why seats and who assigns them even matter. It’s simple: for the American people. For the public to get the information it needs to understand and make decisions about the most powerful office in the world, it needs news produced by experienced, professional journalists who ask tough questions and produce fair coverage.
“There is a reason Democratic and Republican administrations alike have maintained the existing arrangement with WHCA for decades. But if a White House’s goal instead is to receive “favorable coverage” through easy questions, the American people lose out.”
The White House has been contacted for comment.
