WHCA

The White House Correspondents' Association strongly objects to the decision to restrict a journalist’s coverage simply because the president didn’t care for their questioning. That is retaliation. The American public's right to an independent press depends on reporters being able to do their jobs without fear that challenging the president will cut off their access.
- Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

Today the WHCA joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and nearly 50 news organizations in filing an amicus brief urging the court to immediately reverse the administration's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO.

The brief makes clear what the law has long established: the government cannot remove journalists from the White House because it dislikes their reporting. That is viewpoint discrimination, and a clear violation of the First Amendment.

Today the WHCA backs that position in court, urging relief without delay.  See the brief here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment. The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably.  That’s why courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access to journalists, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of their reporting. The WHCA calls on the administration to immediately restore our colleagues' access.

- Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a “ban on the free press.”

The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask.

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 nation’s highest office.

The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and Politico who are being singled out for doing their jobs.

- Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

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