Since the White House press office changed the standards for journalists to get permanent permits, at least 442 journalists have lost their credentials, according to reports.
In May, the White House established enhanced rules for renewing “hard passes” on a yearly basis. Journalists who are unable to get hard passes may apply for a day pass.
Politico says that when the old passes ran out on July 31, the number of White House reporters dropped from 1417 to 975. This suggests that “a mix of renewals and new applications” were involved.
According to the White House, only one reporter’s application for a new hard pass was denied; the hundreds who lost their cards this week apparently did not reapply, with some failing to meet the new standards.
Those who have lost their hard passes are believed to have been given a grace period until August 10 to keep their current passes and submit their papers to obtain new ones by the White House.
The White House press office announced the updated rules in an email issued to all White House “Hard Pass Holders” in May, outlining the steps journalists must take to successfully renew their hard passes.
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELReporters must demonstrate they have “Full-time employment with an organization whose principal business is news dissemination,” a “Physical address” in the “Washington, D.C. area,” and demonstrate they have “accessed the White House campus at least once during the prior six months for work, or have proof of employment within the last three months to cover the White House.”
In addition, hard pass applicants must demonstrate that they have an “Assignment to cover (or provide technical support in covering) the White House on a regular basis,” as well as “Accreditation by a press gallery in either the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, or Supreme Court.”
Finally, candidates must agree to “submit to any necessary investigation by the U.S. Secret Service to determine eligibility for access to the White House complex.”
The letter also stated that under the new guidelines, passes will be canceled if a journalist does not perform “in a professional manner,” with written warnings for violators followed by suspensions and bans for repeat offenders.
When the enhanced criteria were issued in May, Simon Ateba of Today News Africa accused the White House Press Office of targeting him with the additional requirements.
“BREAKING: The @WhiteHouse is changing the rules for press hard passes to target me,” Ateba, a reporter known for challenging White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during briefings, tweeted at the time. “But I qualify for all those things as we just filed our taxes, are registered with the District of Columbia and have our address in DC. I studied journalism in college, received two degrees, have only worked as a journalist and trained countless people. I also attend briefings religiously and do not have a second job.”
BREAKING: The @WhiteHouse is changing the rules for press hard passes to target me. But I qualify for all those things as we just filed our taxes, are registered with the District of Columbia and have our address in DC. I studied journalism in college, received two degrees, have… pic.twitter.com/NMvVF4WSaC
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) May 5, 2023
“It’s crazy what’s going on,” he added. “How can a guy come from Africa and you have to change the rules because of him?”
In a recent statement to Politico, a White House official justified the changes, saying, “At the time we initiated this process in early May, roughly 40 percent of hard pass holders had not accessed the White House complex in the prior 90 days. We think this demonstrates we’ve led a thoughtful and thorough process that preserves robust media access to campus for everyone who needs it—whether that be with a hard pass or a day pass.”
Remember when Barack Obama told Fox News that it excluded them from the White House press pool because they were not a real news network? Yeah, he did that. And to the credit of the rest of the new agencies, they collectively told Obama, if Fox is out, then so are we. Yeah, good times. Of course, the same networks wouldn’t do that today.
