Sanders says the policy was prompted by security issues, not to restrict journalists from covering the president.
By Paul Farhi Paul Farhi Media reporter Email Bio Follow May 8 at 9:36 PM The White House has implemented new rules that it says will cut down on the number of journalists that hold “hard” passes, the credentials that allow reporters and technicians to enter the grounds without seeking daily permission.
Under procedures announced in March and implemented over the past few weeks, journalists will qualify to renew their hard passes only if they have entered the White House grounds at least 50 percent of the time in the 180 days before renewal, effectively once every other day. If they fall short of this, their hard passes will not be renewed.
Some of the confusion about the new policy seems to be a result of the White House’s policy of making exceptions to the 50 percent rule. The White House last year revoked the hard pass of CNN reporter Jim Acosta after Acosta engaged in a heated exchange with Trump during a White House news briefing. After a brief legal fight, a federal court ordered the White House to restore Acosta’s access. The court said Acosta’s due-process rights had been violated because the White House had never established rules and procedures for revoking a credential.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents journalists on access issues, was consulted about the new policy, according to Sanders. The organization’s president, Olivier Knox, declined to comment.
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