White House will now decide which media can cover Trump
What's the story
In a major departure from tradition, the White House has taken over the selection of journalists who cover President Donald Trump, ending the decades-long practice of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) selecting the press pool.
The press pool consists of journalists who travel with the president in close quarters such as Air Force One and the Oval Office.
New policy
White House press team to manage journalist selection
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House press team would now take on this responsibility.
She said the decision is aimed at diversifying the voices covering the president by including new media outlets like streaming services and radio hosts from across the country.
Leavitt stressed that "legacy outlets will still be allowed to join," but didn't specify how the new rotation will look.
Press freedom
WHCA expresses concern over new press coverage policy
The WHCA, which has coordinated the press pool since the 1950s, was concerned over the change.
WHCA President Eugene Daniels said this move "tears at the independence of a free press in the United States" and criticized it for suggesting that "the government will choose the journalists who cover the president."
Daniels also said there were no prior discussions with the WHCA over the changes.
Ongoing changes
Legal dispute and media access changes under Trump's administration
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent legal battle involving the Associated Press (AP), which was barred from certain presidential events after it continued to use "Gulf of Mexico" instead of "Gulf of America."
A federal judge refused to restore its access to the Oval Office, Air Force One, and events held at the White House.
The news agency contended that the move to restrict its correspondents breaches the Constitution's first amendment protections against government abridgment of speech.