The White House has announced a significant shift in how news outlets gain access to President Donald Trump, taking the authority away from the White House Correspondents’ Association, which traditionally determined press pool membership. This decision follows a judge’s preliminary ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Associated Press, a leading news wire service. The lawsuit stemmed from the White House barring AP reporters from events due to a disagreement over the president’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which the AP refused to acknowledge.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the White House press team would now dictate press pool inclusion, signaling a departure from the previous practice. Leavitt emphasized that while longstanding legacy media outlets will continue to participate, new voices will be welcomed into the press pool.

The White House press pool typically comprises reporters from major wire services like the Associated Press, Reuters, and Bloomberg News, along with camera crews from major TV networks, radio correspondents, print outlets like USA TODAY, and photographers. The decision to bypass the WHCA, a nonprofit organization representing these media groups, has raised concerns about government influence over press coverage. Eugene Daniels, the WHCA president, criticized the move, highlighting the importance of a free press independent from government control.

This development underscores the evolving dynamics between the government and the media, with implications for press freedom and access to information in the United States.