WH correspondents slam CNN for excluding outside press from Biden-Trump debate
ATLANTA — The White House Correspondents’ Association publicly blasted CNN Thursday in a last-ditch attempt to expand access to the first presidential debate of 2024 — only for the network to quickly reject the final plea to let non-CNN journalists into the debate hall.
The debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump was brokered by the campaigns and will be different from past showdowns in its lack of an audience and the muting of microphones when a speaker’s time is up.
The move means TV viewers may entirely miss off-mic remarks and that coverage will be limited to what CNN cameras show at the time — with moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, plus network cameramen, photographers and other support staff expected to be the only journalists in the room if there is other related significant news to relate.
Reps for both Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, said it would be OK to allow the daily White House press pool to observe the face-off, but CNN refused — saying Thursday afternoon the debate “is closed to press,” despite its own employees being present.
The Atlanta-based cable news outlet has relegated journalists unaffiliated with CNN to a separate building from the debate hall.
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“WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio,” association President and NBC News correspondent Kelly O’Donnell said in a rare statement criticizing another media outlet.
“Through conversations and advocacy, we urged CNN to grant access to at least one print pool reporter for the duration of the debate. WHCA has been informed that one print reporter will be permitted to enter the studio during a commercial break to briefly observe the setting. That is not sufficient in our view and diminishes a core principle of presidential coverage.
“The White House pool has a duty to document, report and witness the president’s events and his movements on behalf of the American people,” O’Donnell said. “The pool is there for the ‘what ifs?’ in a world where the unexpected does happen.”
Most presidential events are covered by the pool, which includes a rotating representative of print news outlets, a radio reporter and a TV reporter — in addition to photographers and reporters for The Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg News, who are allowed into all pool groups as representatives of wire services.
Pool reporters have the opportunity to witness and independently relay details that event organizers may not want to be known and to ask questions of both the president and anyone else who they may engage with while covering events, augmenting information and color that can be used by news outlets.
“A pool reporter is present to provide context and insight by direct observation and not through the lens of the television production,” O’Donnell went on.
“A pool reporter is an independent observer whose duties are separate from the production of the debate as a news event. The pool reporter works on behalf of the entire White House press corps. Print pool reports are an important part of the historical record.”
O’Donnell said the exclusionary access appeared to be a decision made solely by CNN.
“The Biden campaign told WHCA it supports our request. The Trump campaign told WHCA it would not oppose the inclusion of the White House pool reporter,” O’Donnell said.
“Tonight’s debate will have no audience present and includes format rules that can silence candidates’ microphones,” O’Donnell said. ” A pool reporter is there to observe what is said and done when microphones are off or when either candidate is not seen on camera but may speak, gesture, move, or engage in some way.”
CNN said it was sticking to its exclusionary stance in a statement that the organization insisted “must be used in full” by other outlets.
“As proud members of the White House Correspondents Association, we respect the role the organization plays and their support for press freedom and access. CNN’s Presidential Debate is being held without an audience in a CNN studio and is closed to press,” the network said.
“The feed was made available to Washington Pool Members, Washington Pool subscribers and CNN Affiliates, and is also available to embed via CNN’s YouTube channel without charge for digital outlets and is available on CNN.com,” the statement continued.
“Following our traditional approach, CNN is providing access to the debate studio for a tight pool of photographers for the duration of the event and a larger group of photographers during a commercial break. In addition, CNN is providing access to the debate hall for the designated print pool reporter during the first commercial break to allow them to provide a pool report from inside the debate studio.”
