Wire Outlets

White House excludes wire organizations from Air Force One press pool

The White House excluded reporters from The Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters from accompanying President Donald Trump on his trip to the Middle East. Typically, the three wires, along with 10 other journalists, are given press seats on Air Force One so that they can cover the president. However, the Middle East trip excluded the wires and instead included five photographers, two print journalists, four television journalists and one radio journalist. Fox News host and Trump supporter Sean Hannity was also on board and able to interview Trump.

White House eliminates wire slot in press pool

The White House communications office announced that it was eliminating a dedicated spot in the White House press pool for journalists from wire services. Due to limited space in presidential areas like the Oval Office, a rotating group of journalists makes up the official press pool that is permitted to follow and report on the president. Before the White House took over the pool in February, three spots were reserved for The Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters. After the takeover, the number of wire spots was reduced to one, with Bloomberg and Reuters sharing it. The April 15 change eliminated the wire spot entirely and instead established an additional “print” spot that the three wire services will rotate through, along with more than 30 other outlets. The change was likely a response to a court order in the AP’s lawsuit against the White House that instructed the White House to allow the AP back into the pool.

More from Poynter:

• It appears Trump’s ban on The Associated Press just got worse
• Donald Trump’s war with The Associated Press rages on
• Meet the 32 ‘new media’ outlets the White House invited to its press pool
• Trump’s interactions with the press pool are ‘unprecedented’. History explains why.

US Agency for Global Media cancels contracts with news wire services

U.S. Agency for Global Media senior adviser Kari Lake announced that she is canceling the agency contracts with news wire companies like The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. USAGM operates both Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, organizations that provide reliable news and information to people in countries that lack a free press. Part of that effort included the republication of content from wire services. 

White House bans Associated Press reporters from presidential spaces

The White House banned journalists from The Associated Press from accessing certain presidential spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One and attending events open to the White House press pool and other reporters. The move was retaliation for the AP’s refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the body of water. The AP, which publishes a style guide widely used by American journalists, has stated that it serves an international audience who recognize the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico.

More from Poynter:

• From absurd to disturbing as Trump White House bans AP from important media events
• History sort of repeats itself with White House media ban
• White House continues its absurd ban against the Associated Press
• News outlets backed the AP against Trump’s White House. Now what?
• How does the AP’s dispute with the Trump administration end?
• AP argues its White House ban has hurt coverage, chilled the press
• The White House must lift its ban on The Associated Press, judge rules