Scoop: White House to take charge of briefing-room seating chart
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs on Wednesday. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
The White House plans to impose its own seating chart for reporters in the briefing room in coming weeks, taking over a function long managed by the reporters themselves through the White House Correspondents' Association.
Why it matters: It's the latest — but likely not the last — effort by the White House to take a heavier hand in shaping who covers President Trump. In public and private, White House officials make it clear they are determined to upend decades-old press corps traditions.
Behind the scenes: Some members of the correspondents' association (WHCA) have been looking for ways to de-escalate. A senior White House official told Axios that a WHCA member had privately raised the possibility of changing the organization's bylaws so the sitting White House press secretary, currently Karoline Leavitt, always serves as WHCA president.
- The tough-sell argument for the change: Rekindle collaboration between WHCA and the White House, and ensure buy-in from both.
- The official called the possibility an "interesting idea," but said they're "skeptical the association's board could pull it off."
- WHCA says it "exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency." Members could be expected to roundly reject the idea of a press secretary as their president.
The backstory: Prominent seats in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room are coveted because it's easier to catch the press secretary's eye to ask tough and probing questions. Those correspondents' interactions are also more likely to be showcased on TV.
- In February, the White House began designating the pool of reporters who accompany Trump in tight spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One — another function the WHCA had controlled for generations. WHCA said in response: "In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."
The Associated Press on Thursday asked a federal judge to reinstate the wire service's access to pooled events, which has been sharply curtailed by the White House. "AP has now spent 44 days in the penalty box," Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the newswire, said at the hearing.
- WHCA's decision to support AP in its dispute with the White House prompted the changes in the pool structure.
How it works: Discussing the coming seating chart, the senior White House official said plans have already been formalized for a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today."
- The new layout will include representatives of TV, print and digital outlets. The digital assignments will include both online influencers and newer organizations such as Axios, NOTUS and Punchbowl.
"The goal isn't merely favorable coverage," said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss plans that haven't been announced. "It's truly an honest look at consumption [of the outlets' coverage]. Influencers are important but it's tough because they aren't [equipped to provide] consistent coverage. So the ability to cover the White House is part of the metrics."
- Major legacy outlets will still be included. But expect some to have diminished visibility compared with their customary spots in the first few rows. "We want to balance disruption with responsibility," the official said.
The big picture: WHCA President Eugene Daniels announced in an email to members Saturday that the association is canceling a planned appearance by comedian Amber Ruffin as the featured entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 26.
- White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich on Friday night tweeted a clip of Ruffin on a Daily Beast podcast conversation about her preparations for the dinner, where she referred to Trump administration officials as "kind of a bunch of murderers."
- Budowich asked: "What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this?"
In announcing there'll be no headliner at next month's dinner, Daniels wrote: "As the date nears, I will share more details of the plans in place to honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world."
- "As a first step," Daniels added, "I wanted to share that the WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year. At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists."
Axios has sought comment from Daniels about the impending seating changes.
- Axios' Hans Nichols contributed reporting.
