The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) took aim at CNN on Tuesday, just hours before the first presidential debate, for the network’s decision to bar outside journalists from being in the studio for the duration of the event.
The WHCA, an organization of credentialed White House journalists, provides a pool reporter to inform of the president’s actions and events. As the president departs Camp David to Atlanta, Georgia, for the presidential debate, a pool reporter will travel with Biden to document his movement. The pool reporter, however, will not be allowed in the studio during the debate due to CNN’s restrictions, the WHCA said in a Tuesday letter to its members. (RELATED: ‘Keep The Bar Off The Floor’: Low Expectations Won’t Save Biden From Sleepy Debate Performance, Observers Say)
“For weeks, WHCA has advocated for the inclusion of our White House travel pool inside the studio for the presidential debate. Our work has included outreach to the White House, the campaigns of both President Biden and former President Trump and the debate host network CNN,” WHCA president Kelly O’Donnell, also a White House correspondent for NBC, wrote.
“However, WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio. 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,” she added.
O’Donnell wrote that the organization believed that the pool reporter should be in the studio in the event of a “what if.” Having a pool reporter in the room in the event of such would help provide context and insight that is not accessible through TV studio cameras, the letter states.
WHCA respectfully requests that CNN grant access to the WH print pool reporter for the duration of the debate. Access matters. Independent observation matters. Precedent matters. pic.twitter.com/wNxf8du4t1
— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) June 27, 2024
Neither campaign was opposed to the pool reporter being included in the studio, O’Donnell said in her letter. Additionally, the WHCA made note that the debate has several caveats, including no in-studio audience and the muting of microphones, which raises the need for a pool reporter to observe what is said that cannot be heard through the broadcast. (RELATED: Biden Aides Reportedly Training Him To ‘Trigger’ Trump On Debate Night)
Here’s a peek at what the Trump/Biden debate will look like tonight
• No in-person audience
• No pre-written notes or props
• Mics muted when the other is speakingIt’s the first debate for either since 2020 and kicks off on CNN at 9pm pic.twitter.com/i6lsyoYAJ1
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) June 27, 2024
Pool reporters have been included in past presidential debates, according to the WHCA.
“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 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,” a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
The general election presidential debates were originally set to be held in the fall months, but after negotiation from the two campaigns, the events are starting earlier than planned. Biden’s campaign proposed two dates for the pair to debate after Trump’s team had repeatedly said he was ready to face off “anywhere, any time, any place.” Biden’s proposal came with a list of non-negotiables such as no live audience, a select variety of networks to host and only two candidates on stage.
“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 wrote.
