Last December, the White House Press Secretary and Communications Director, Sean Spicer remarked that the White House would not ban any press organizations and added that is what 'makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship.' However, on Friday afternoon, many News Organizations were blocked from attending a conference at the White House. It is obvious that a few are agreeing with the new ban, which Mr. Spicer said was not a ban - just an off-screen 'gaggle.'
Outlets that were banned and those that weren't
The manner in which certain media organizations were barred was unacceptable to many.
Most organizations that had been denied access were those that had, for long, criticized the presidential administration. Such organizations included the CNN, against whom President Trump has been arguing for a long while, and The New York Times. Also, on the list were the LA times, Politico and BBC. Buzzfeed, the Huffington Post, and Al-Jazeera also reported that they had been asked to leave.
It appeared to many that the Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, had specifically chosen to allow the Trump-friendly press to the gaggle. Those that were permitted to attend included Breitbart, Washington Times, Fox News and ABC News and more right-leaning press corps.
While the Times Magazine and the Associated Press were approved of entry, both decided to boycott in favor of other news corps that were not allowed.
A Wall Street Journal reporter, without being aware of the situation, though, did attend the briefing.
Later on, the publication vowed to avoid such attendances, and a spokesman for the organization said: "The Wall Street Journal strongly objects to the White House’s decision to bar certain media outlets from today’s gaggle.
Had we known at the time, we would not have participated, and we will not participate in such closed briefings in the future."
Reasons and Reactions to the ban
The reasons for the - supposedly - anti-media ban came soon after journalists and news agencies expressed their frustration. Sarah Sander, a White House spokeswoman, told the Huffington Post, "We had invited the pool, so everyone was represented.
We decided to add a couple of additional people beyond the pool. Nothing more than that."
Assumed reasons also included the President's Twitter war with the 'fake news' media that had raged on hours earlier. Amid his furious tweets, he had called the media ‘the enemy of the American people.' The act sparked concerns that the reason for the ban was that Donald Trump preferred his media favorites at the conference.
Upon realization of the block, many news organizations rose to protest.
CNN released a statement saying, "Apparently this is how they retaliate when you report facts they don't like. We'll keep reporting regardless."
The New York Times editor, Dean Baquet, said that "nothing like this has ever happened at the White House" and that "free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest."
Fox News also stood up for the boycotted organizations, saying that when former President Obama tried to freeze it out in 2009, other press outlets stood up for it.
Up until now, the White House has declined to give further comments on the subject.
