The new rules require journalists to submit a letter to gain access to the White House grounds with information about their employment, mandating that reporters work for “an organization whose principal business is news dissemination.”
The rule change comes as the administration has been facing repeated outbursts in the briefing room from reporters like
Simon Ateba, and comes days after World Press Freedom Day. Journalists have called out White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for not giving fair representation in the briefing room and the Biden administration has
faced criticism from the press corps over unfair access to White House events.
All current “hard passes,” which are used to gain access to the White House grounds and press briefings, will expire July 31.
The letter requires reporters to submit their physical address, a statement saying they have accessed the White House in the last six months and cover the White House “on a regular basis,” as well as proof of “accreditation by a press gallery in either the Supreme Court, U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives.”
Reporters will also have to state they have the willingness “to submit to any necessary investigation by the U.S. Secret Service to determine eligibility for access to the White House complex, where Secret Service will determine eligibility based on whether the applicant presents a potential risk to the safety or security of the President, the Vice President, or the White House complex.”