CNN and other news outlets were blocked on Friday from attending an off-camera White House press briefing that other reporters were hand-picked to attend, raising alarm among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs.

The decision struck veteran White House journalists as unprecedented in the modern era, and escalated tensions in the already fraught relationship between the Trump administration and the press.

The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BuzzFeed, the BBC and the Guardian were also among those excluded from the meeting, which was held in White House press secretary Sean Spicer's office. The meeting, which is known as a gaggle, was held in lieu of the daily televised Q-and-A session in the White House briefing room.

When reporters from these news organizations tried to enter Spicer's office for the gaggle, they were told they could not attend because they were not on the list of attendees.

In a brief statement defending the move, administration spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the White House "had the pool there so everyone would be represented and get an update from us today."

The White House press pool usually includes representatives from one television outlet, one radio outlet and one print outlet, as well as reporters from a few wire services. In this case, four of the five major television networks -- NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News -- were invited and attended the meeting, while only CNN was blocked.

And while The New York Times was kept out, conservative media organizations Breitbart News, The Washington Times and One America News Network were also allowed in.

"This is an unacceptable development by the Trump White House," CNN said in a statement. "Apparently this is how they retaliate when you report facts they don't like. We'll keep reporting regardless."

New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet wrote, "Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties. We strongly protest the exclusion of The New York Times and the other news organizations. Free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest."

The White House press office had informed reporters earlier that the traditional, on-camera press briefing would be replaced by a gaggle in Spicer's office, reporters in attendance said. Asked about the move by the White House Correspondents Association, the White House said it would take the press pool and invite others as well.

The WHCA protested that decision on the grounds that it would unfairly exclude certain news organizations, the reporters said. The White House did not budge, and when reporters arrived at Spicer's office, White House communications officials only allowed in reporters from specific media outlets.

CNN reporters attempted to access the gaggle when it began at about 1:45 p.m. ET. As they walked with a large group of fellow journalists from the White House briefing room toward Spicer's office, an administration official turned them around, informing them CNN wasn't on the list of attendees.

Reporters from The Associated Press, Time magazine and USA Today decided in the moment to boycott the briefing because of how it was handled.

Asked during the gaggle whether CNN and The New York Times were blocked because the administration was unhappy with their reporting, Spicer responded: "We had it as pool, and then we expanded it, and we added some folks to come cover it. It was my decision to expand the pool."

Several news outlets spoke out against the White House's decision.

"The Wall Street Journal strongly objects to the White House's decision to bar certain media outlets from today's gaggle," a Journal spokesman said. "Had we known at the time, we would not have participated and we will not participate in such closed briefings in the future."

The White House move was called "appalling" by Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron, who said the Trump administrationPost Executive Editor Marty Baron, who said the Trump administration is on "an undemocratic path."

Politico editor-in-chief John Harris said that "selectively excluding news organizations from White House briefings is misguided."

Said BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith: "While we strongly object to the White House's apparent attempt to punish news outlets whose coverage it does not like, we won't let these latest antics distract us from continuing to cover this administration fairly and aggressively."

The Associated Press said it "believes the public should have as much access to the president as possible."

The White House Correspondents Association also protested the move.

"The WHCA board is protesting strongly against how today's gaggle is being handled by the White House," it said in a statement. "We encourage the organizations that were allowed in to share the material with others in the press corps who were not. The board will be discussing this further with White House staff."

Hours earlier, at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, President Trump mocked and disparaged the news media. He said that much of the press represents "the enemy of the people."

"They are the enemy of the people because they have no sources," Trump said. "They just make them up when there are none."

He also said reporters "shouldn't be allowed" to use unnamed sources.



http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/24/media/cnn-blocked-white-house-gaggle/index.html

Pointblank09:
He also said reporters "shouldn't be allowed" to use unnamed sources
If you try that in Nigeria, you have killed journalism in Nigeria.
What we hear every time is "a source from...., a senior.... that don;t want to be named etc

tsephanyah:
Trump doesn't Understand anything besides twitter and his Hollywood mindsets,.. This mainstream media are part of most powerful elites in the world,.. They control everything and there goal is one world government where they can decide who lives and who dies,.. They will just use him as pawn,.. Set example to all those right wing, probably impeach him or limit his power,... And take over the most powerful country once and forol, meanwhile let's him enjoy the White House, free airtime of the media,.. people I pity is the Christians and some conservative thinking trump share their values,.. Not knowing he is an atheist, low ranking Illuminati, a pedophile, con man,. And mentally unstable lunatic,. With unhealthy narcissistic personality

tsephanyah:
Trump doesn't Understand anything besides twitter and his Hollywood mindsets,.. This mainstream media are part of most powerful elites in the world,.. They control everything and there goal is one world government where they can decide who lives and who dies,.. They will just use him as pawn,.. Set example to all those right wing, probably impeach him or limit his power,... And take over the most powerful country once and forol, meanwhile let's him enjoy the White House, free airtime of the media,.. people I pity is the Christians and some conservative thinking trump share their values,.. Not knowing he is an atheist, low ranking Illuminati, a pedophile, con man,. And mentally unstable lunatic,. With unhealthy narcissistic personality

omenkaLives:
I remember how some people almost ran mad when news broke in the the earliest days of this admin that AIT had been barred from Aso Rock due to the unbridled lies and propaganda they spread about the president during the campaigns.

I remember how they stood on every rooftop screaming their heads off that we are witnessing the birth of full blown dictatorship! Today, their hero (maybe no longer their hero since he didnt call their dilector but rather Buhari) has done exactly the same!

How would they twist their explanation in this case?

Pointblank09:
He also said reporters "shouldn't be allowed" to use unnamed sources
If you try that in Nigeria, you have killed journalism in Nigeria.
What we hear every time is "a source from...., a senior.... that don;t want to be named etc

omenkaLives:
Nigeria's media, one can handle, but Western media- hell, you just might as well pick a fight with God (not to diminish God's image in anyway).

Was just dscussing same with my inlaw to be: with this latest action, Trump has surely dug his own grave. Theae guys can bring down an entire government no matter how firmly rooted it is.

tsephanyah:
Trump doesn't Understand anything besides twitter and his Hollywood mindsets,.. This mainstream media are part of most powerful elites in the world,.. They control everything and there goal is one world government where they can decide who lives and who dies,.. They will just use him as pawn,.. Set example to all those right wing, probably impeach him or limit his power,... And take over the most powerful country once and forol, meanwhile let's him enjoy the White House, free airtime of the media,.. people I pity is the Christians and some conservative thinking trump share their values,.. Not knowing he is an atheist, low ranking Illuminati, a pedophile, con man,. And mentally unstable lunatic,. With unhealthy narcissistic personality

omenkaLives:
Nigeria's media, one can handle, but Western media- hell, you just might as well pick a fight with God (not to diminish God's image in anyway).

Was just dscussing same with my inlaw to be: with this latest action, Trump has surely dug his own grave. Theae guys can bring down an entire government no matter how firmly rooted it is.

Onopa:
Freedom of the press is an individual right to print and publish without infringement by government. The printing press revolutionized printing and made it possible for the common man to publish. It was a key factor in the PRIVATE publication of seditious articles that led to the American Revolution. This individual freedom and right of the individual to think freely and write freely and publish freely is enshrined in US constitution and protects the individual.

It does not give special rights to a profession or to a corporation and certainly does not guarantee your leftist rag a place at any press conference.

Were it to prevent any individual writer from thinking what they wish or writing what they wish or publishing what they wish, then and only then would it be a violation of natural rights and the US Constitution.

tsephanyah:
Trump doesn't Understand anything besides twitter and his Hollywood mindsets,.. This mainstream media are part of most powerful elites in the world,.. They control everything and there goal is one world government where they can decide who lives and who dies,.. They will just use him as pawn,.. Set example to all those right wing, probably impeach him or limit his power,... And take over the most powerful country once and forol, meanwhile let's him enjoy the White House, free airtime of the media,.. people I pity is the Christians and some conservative thinking trump share their values,.. Not knowing he is an atheist, low ranking Illuminati, a pedophile, con man,. And mentally unstable lunatic,. With unhealthy narcissistic personality

Pointblank09:
He also said reporters "shouldn't be allowed" to use unnamed sources
If you try that in Nigeria, you have killed journalism in Nigeria.
What we hear every time is "a source from...., a senior.... that don;t want to be named etc

omenkaLives:
Nigeria's media, one can handle, but Western media- hell, you just might as well pick a fight with God (not to diminish God's image in anyway).

Was just dscussing same with my inlaw to be: with this latest action, Trump has surely dug his own grave. Theae guys can bring down an entire government no matter how firmly rooted it is.

omenkaLives:
I remember how some people almost ran mad when news broke in the the earliest days of this admin that AIT had been barred from Aso Rock due to the unbridled lies and propaganda they spread about the president during the campaigns.

I remember how they stood on every rooftop screaming their heads off that we are witnessing the birth of full blown dictatorship! Today, their hero (maybe no longer their hero since he didnt call their dilector but rather Buhari) has done exactly the same!

How would they twist their explanation in this case?

tsephanyah:
Trump doesn't Understand anything besides twitter and his Hollywood mindsets,.. This mainstream media are part of most powerful elites in the world,.. They control everything and there goal is one world government where they can decide who lives and who dies,.. They will just use him as pawn,.. Set example to all those right wing, probably impeach him or limit his power,... And take over the most powerful country once and forol, meanwhile let's him enjoy the White House, free airtime of the media,.. people I pity is the Christians and some conservative thinking trump share their values,.. Not knowing he is an atheist, low ranking Illuminati, a pedophile, con man,. And mentally unstable lunatic,. With unhealthy narcissistic personality