Chicago – February 26, 2025
On Wednesday, the White House blocked reporters from Reuters and other news outlets from attending President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting, following a new policy about media access.
The White House prevented an Associated Press (AP) photographer and reporters from Reuters, HuffPost, and Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper, from attending. However, TV crews from ABC, Newsmax, and correspondents from Axios, Bloomberg News, and NPR were allowed to cover the event.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced it would decide which media organizations could cover the president in smaller spaces like the Oval Office. Traditionally, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has managed which reporters make up the “presidential press pool.” Reuters has been a part of this pool for many years.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that while traditional media would still be allowed to cover the president regularly, the administration planned to change who is allowed to report in smaller areas.
In response, Reuters, AP, and Bloomberg issued a statement emphasizing the importance of their role in providing fair and accurate news to audiences around the world, ensuring that people have access to information regardless of their political views.
