Television members of the White House pool, including Fox News, refused to provide TV pool coverage Monday in solidarity with CNN after the White House revoked credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The Washington Blade continued as the primary print pool provider, with reporter Joe Reberkenny filing the main dispatches, including coverage of a helipad ribbon-cutting. The Daily Caller served as the secondary print outlet, creating an unusual pairing given the Blade’s critical stance on the president’s LGBTQ+ policies. The White House defended its credential decisions in a post titled "White House Access Is A Privilege — Not A Right."
Fox News Joins TV Boycott — Washington Blade Keeps Covering White House Print Pool
The White House Press Briefing Room
On Monday, television members of the White House TV press pool — including Fox News — declined to provide pool video in solidarity with CNN after President Donald Trump revoked credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The decision left no TV video feed from the five outlets that normally share pool duties.
The five TV organizations issued a joint statement:
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting."Notably, Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich serves as president of the White House Correspondents' Association.
Despite the TV boycott, print coverage continued. The Washington Blade, a D.C.-based LGBTQ+ newspaper founded in 1969, served as the primary print pool provider. Blade reporter Joe Reberkenny filed the main dispatches tracking the president's activities throughout the day, including updates from a ribbon-cutting for the White House helipad.
The secondary print outlet on duty was The Daily Caller, a conservative site broadly sympathetic to the president. The pairing drew attention because the Blade has been sharply critical of Mr. Trump’s record on LGBTQ+ rights since his return to the White House.
The Advocate reported that it had sought comment from Blade editor Kevin Naff and from The Daily Caller; no responses had been received at the time of publication. A request for comment to Joe Reberkenny was referred to Naff.
The White House posted the pool dispatches alongside an extensive defense of its credential decisions under the headline "White House Access Is A Privilege — Not A Right". The post stated in part:
"Last week, President Donald J. Trump removed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House grounds after years of false reporting. The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool."The post also criticized past Democratic administrations for restricting access on occasion, though it did not cite examples comparable in scale to the recent removals.
Related developments include a federal judge's recent restoration of the Associated Press's full access to White House events and reporting that White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is expected to leave her post later this month.
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