The White House is taking heat for purging more than 400 reporters from presidential press briefings following a new rule aimed at journalists.
According to reports, 442 reporters have lost their "hard pass" press pass credentials over the past three months, resulting in a 31 percent reduction of journalists in the press briefing room.
The White House told Politico that only one reporter had their application for a new hard pass denied. However, hundreds of reporters lost their passes due to needing to meet the latest qualifications.
Under the new guidelines, reporters can still access the White House, though their permissions must be reviewed daily. They could also be subjected to increased inspection from the Secret Service.
Reporters must also show they have "Full-time employment with an organization whose principal business is news dissemination," have a "Physical address" in the "Washington, D.C. area," and demonstrate they have "accessed the White House campus at least once during the prior six months for work, or have proof of employment within the last three months to cover the White House."
Additionally, reporters may be kicked out of White House press briefings if they make too many interruptions or argue too much with press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre— as many reporters have done in the past.
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Journalist Simon Ateba was told he would face expulsion if he continued interrupting Jean-Pierre during the briefings.
However, not everyone agrees with the new rules.
A lawyer representing Matthew Anthony Harper, the White House correspondent for InterMountain Christian News, objected to the guidelines saying, "The requirement of accreditation by a press gallery in either the U.S. Congress or the Supreme Court appears to be an effort to purge smaller, regional news outlets who cannot afford enough reporters to continually cover both the White House and another branch of government."
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