The White House Correspondents’ Association issued a statement calling on CNN to allow reporters, who accompany the president to nearly all of his events, into the venue where the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden will take place on Thursday night.
With CNN in sole control of the debate, tensions are soaring around the first debate – and not just for the Trump campaign or the Republican Party.
“The WHCA respectfully requests that CNN adjust its plans and invite its White House travel pool printers to watch the full debate.”
Kelly O’Donnell, WHCA president and senior White House correspondent for NBC News, shared a statement from the organization, revealing that the WHCA has been lobbying CNN for access to the hall for weeks to no avail.
“The WHCA is deeply concerned by CNN’s refusal to allow a White House traveling reporter into the studio. Through our discussions and advocacy, we have urged CNN to allow at least one print reporter into the studio during the debate. The WHCA has been informed that one print reporter will be allowed into the studio during commercial breaks to briefly observe the situation. In our view, this is insufficient and undermines the fundamental principles of presidential coverage,” the statement said.
“The White House Press Corps has a duty to document, report on and witness Presidential events and actions on behalf of the American people,” the statement continued. “The Press Corps exists to prepare for the ‘what ifs’ in a world where the unexpected occurs. Press Corps reporters are there to provide context and insight through first-hand observation, not through the lens of a television production. Press Corps reporters are independent observers with a mission separate from producing news about the debates.”
Neither the Biden nor Trump campaigns have objected to allowing reporters into the pool, and the WHCA said there should be no security concerns because reporters will be screened by the Secret Service.
“The WHCA respectfully requests that, for the sake of the news cycle, for the sake of history, and above all for the sake of the American people, CNN adjust its plans and welcome a White House Traveling Pool Print Representative to watch the debate in its entirety,” the statement concluded.
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