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The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) on Friday (local time) condemned US President Donald Trumps decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, with its president Jacqui Heinrich saying the move amounts to a ban on the free press.
The statement came after Trump defended his decision to exclude the three news organisations, accusing them of publishing what he described as fake news and portraying his administration negatively. The three outlets were barred from White House access effective immediately, according to reports. The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a ban on the free press, Heinrich said in a statement. She said the Constitution protects press freedom from government interference and argued that the protection does not depend on whether a president agrees with a news organisations coverage or reporting. The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organizations coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask, Heinrich said. The WHCA president said the issue extended beyond journalists and concerned the publics access to information about the functioning of the US government. This is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nations highest office, she said. Heinrich also expressed support for journalists working for the three organisations. The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and Politico who are being singled out for doing their jobs, she said. The WHCA is an independent organisation representing White House correspondents and says its mission includes ensuring that the press can independently report on the presidency without government control. Heinrich, a Fox News senior White House correspondent, is serving as the associations president. Trump, meanwhile, has defended the restrictions, saying the outlets were producing what he called dishonest and one-sided coverage. He has also alleged that the organisations deliberately seek to undermine his Republican administration. The latest dispute adds to continuing tensions between the Trump administration and major US news organisations over access to presidential events and White House press coverage. Trump previously restricted access for The Associated Press after a dispute over the agencys continued use of the term Gulf of Mexico instead of the administrations preferred Gulf of America. The latest restrictions have renewed debate over the relationship between presidential control of access and press freedom. (ANI)
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