White House move against media troubling

Media access is critical for transparent, accountable gov’t

On Friday, several news organizations were blocked from covering an informal, on the record press briefing at the White House.

The agencies included CNN, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Politico, according to a report on CNN.

The Associated Press and Time magazine boycotted the briefing, CNN and the AP report, due to the way the situation was handled. The situation is a troubling one. Friday afternoon, according to the AP, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, “We invited the pool so everyone was represented. We decided to add a couple of additional people beyond the pool. Nothing more than that.”

However, the move came on the heels of President Donald Trump railing against the media at a speech earlier in the day.

For the public to understand the government and hold officials accountable, the government in turn must be transparent. And that requires allowing the media to cover press briefings. The media serves as a conduit for information, covering government actions to keep the public informed of any actions.

It’s essential that a variety of outlets cover the actions of the government, from press briefings to speeches, because it is dangerous to rely only on a handful of handpicked outlets. How does the public know that the coverage isn’t handpicked as well? A variety of media outlets ensures that said outlets hold one another accountable as well.

Unfortunately, the White House administration has made the attack on the media the story, drawing attention elsewhere when really, the attention should be on what the administration is doing for the betterment of our country.

The media serves a vital role — that of watchdog, ensuring that officials at every level of government do not abuse their power. That coverage provides transparency, so the public understands what’s happening, as well as accountability for government officials. And the media’s right and ability to do so are protected by the First Amendment.

It is critical that the White House allow a variety of news organizations access to cover the administration and its actions.

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