The White House Press Photographers Association denounced the “unprecedented curtailment of access” to Vice President Kamala Harris and sent a letter to aides and the campaign urging them to allow more photojournalists around the Democratic presidential nominee.
WHNPA President Jessica Koscielniak expressed concern about the reduction in seats for reporters and photographers on Air Force Two, the vice presidential plane, just weeks after Harris replaced President Biden as the Democratic nominee. Letter of August 29thAccording to data obtained by Axios.
“Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for US president, travel destinations have dropped from 13 to nine, an unprecedented reduction in access for a major party candidate,” Koscielniak wrote.
“While the remaining representatives of the press are allowed to continue traveling without interruption, the number of seats for independent press photographers has been reduced from four to one,” she noted.
“WHNPA urges the Harris campaign to reconsider the number of media seats allowed on Air Force Two,” Koscielniak continued, saying he understood the reduction in seating was to make room for additional security personnel on the modified Boeing 757 aircraft.
The president of the Professional Photographers Society argued that “further accommodations are necessary to maintain a fair and free press,” and suggested that the Harris campaign add “tracking devices” to add media.
“If a chase plane with additional journalists (of all media formats) is not available, we urge the WHCA to reallocate the current seating in a manner that is fair to photojournalists and more representative of the traveling pool, which has four traveling photojournalists at any one time,” Koscielniak wrote.
She noted that campaigns have historically accommodated expanded travel during general election periods and urged the Harris campaign to “immediately” restore photojournalists' access to the vice president.
Koscielniak argued the new restrictions would deprive Americans of some of “the most important images in politics” at a critical time.
“Ultimately, this reduction in access will ultimately hurt Americans and voters who rely on independent visual journalism to tell the facts of the 2024 presidential election amid a plethora of news reports and misinformation about the presidential candidates,” she wrote.
Koscielniak told Axios that he “has not received a response” from Harris' team and “the situation has not improved.”
The vice president's office finally responded to WHNPA's letter late Wednesday after WHNPA inquired about cutting photojournalists, but called Koscielniak's proposal “not feasible.”
Harris, 59, has been criticized by the media and former President Donald Trump for having little interaction with the press.
She has given just one interview since Biden, 81, endorsed her to run on her behalf on July 21.
The Washington Post has reached out to Harris' campaign and the White House for comment.
