Statement on White House Excluding AP from News Coverage

In the relationship between the press and the Office of the President, coverage and standards are entirely in the purview of individual organizations.

The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions. The move by the administration to bar a reporter from The Associated Press from an official event open to news coverage today is unacceptable.

The WHCA stands with The Associated Press and calls on the administration to immediately change course.

-Eugene Daniels, president of the WHCA