The White House is reportedly now poised to introduce a new seating chart for the press briefing room that may disrupt the traditional seating arrangement of major media outlets.
This change will shift control of seating from the long-established White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) to the White House itself, a move aimed at modernizing the way press access is structured.
According to an Axios report, a senior White House official emphasized that the goal of this restructuring is to reflect current media consumption metrics.
They suggested that the initiative is not just about securing favorable coverage, but rather about assessing how different outlets are consumed by the public.
The official noted the significance of influencers in media, even if they are inconsistent in their coverage.
While major legacy outlets will still have seats, many may be moved from their customary front-row positions to less prominent locations.
This decision is expected to provoke strong reactions from press correspondents who are already discontent with the administration’s control over who participates in press pools—those small groups of journalists permitted to cover presidential events.
Eugene Daniels, the president of the WHCA, criticized the White House’s decision, asserting that it undermines the independence of the press by allowing the government to choose which journalists report on the president.
He warned that in a free society, leaders should not have the power to select their own press corps.
Moreover, the WHCA announced that comedian Amber Ruffin, known for her anti-Trump stance, would not headline the upcoming annual White House Correspondents Dinner, a decision that has drawn criticism amid the ongoing tensions between the administration and the media.
As these changes unfold, debates regarding press freedom and government control over media coverage are expected to intensify.
[READ MORE: USAID to be Finally Shut Down For Good]
