Credentials Revoked
No, President Trump probably should not have revoked the White House media credentials for CNN, MS-NOW, and Politico. Not for the reasons you may think, however.
He probably should not have done it because it’s more likely to fire up his opposition than to fire up his base. Making liberals more angry can’t help Republicans on the ballot in November. And while his supporters will cheer the effort, I’m not sure that translates to GOP votes.
I am and have always been a strong First Amendment advocate. Government should not pick and choose what become official state news media outlets. But that’s not really what’s happening here…and Trump’s not the first one to come up with the idea.
First and foremost, not everyone with a notepad or a microphone has a right to access within the White House. I cannot just simply start showing up at the gate and demanding to be let in, just because I work in radio. You apply for credentials, which are either granted or rejected. Since not every news organization that wants access can get it, each White House makes determinations about who gets the media passes. This administration has allowed entities such as Real America’s Voice and One America News and a host of online-only outets to have a seat at news briefings; that was never done in the past.
And before Trump haters talk about “no kings” and other silly labels, remember it was President Barack Obama in 2009 who tried to have Fox News reporters banned from interviews, saying from the podium that it was not really a news organization. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was about it at the time, and said, “We render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.”
And don’t forget that in 2023, President Joe Biden had the New York Post barred from an otherwise-public event, because he did not like their reporting on his son Hunter’s infamous laptop.
So to be clear, for nearly 20 years, each president—Republican and Democrat alike—has tried to limit media access to the White House in punishment for reporting they didn’t like. It’s not new, although some of the reporting on it would like you to believe that. But it’s also not a good look and may cause the GOP and the Administration more harm than good, given the relatively small audiences those outlets serve.
