JUST IN: White House Takes Back Key Power From The Media In Effort To End ‘Monopoly’

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) will no longer control which news outlets receive prime access to the press briefing room. Instead, the White House press team, led by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, will take over the process, dismantling what many have seen as the mainstream media’s grip on the West Wing.

For decades, the WHCA has determined which reporters and news organizations receive privileged seating and access to White House events—a power that often favored legacy media. The Trump administration’s move aims to create a more level playing field, ensuring that newer and alternative outlets have a shot at White House coverage.

Leavitt assured that major television networks would still have access to presidential events and daily briefings, but the administration wanted to broaden access beyond the traditional media elite.

“I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people who read your papers, who watch your television shows, and who listen to your radio stations,” Leavitt said to reporters Tuesday. “Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team.”

“Legacy outlets who have participated in the press pool for decades will still be allowed to join, fear not. But we will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility.”

Leavitt added, “A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House. All journalists, outlets and voices deserve a seat at this highly coveted table.”

The WHCA was founded in 1914 with the purpose of advocating for journalists’ ability to directly observe and report on the president’s activities. It has played a role in managing the press corps’ daily access to White House events and briefings.

One of the most notable events organized by the WHCA is the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which is a gathering of journalists, politicians, and celebrities.

WASHINGTON APRIL 25 – Donald Trump and wife Melania arrive at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner April 25, 2015 in Washington, DC

The president of the WHCA, Eugene Daniels, voiced concerns Wednesday on MSNBC about the reliability of pool reports under new management by President Trump’s team.

“For years the WHCA had created a format for standards, length, accuracy for the American people that they could trust that those standards created by the folks that actually do the work were understood by everyone and you could trust the reports that were coming out of that,” Daniels claimed.

“That can no longer be trusted, frankly,” he continued. “Because at the end of the day, these standards are going to be created by the folks that are being covered.”

“This is not about us at the WHCA. This is about the American people being able to depend on what comes out of these press pools and getting an unvarnished look at the people who run their country,” he finished.

The Trump administration recently barred Associated Press journalists from accessing key areas such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. This stemmed from the AP’s refusal to adopt the administration’s directive to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”