Then-President-elect Donald Trump capped off a maelstrom when he announced Wednesday that he will not move the daily White House briefing from the West Wing. That was a proposal originally thought up by incoming Press Secretary Sean Spicer, which he said was a way to accommodate more reporters. The current James Brady briefing room can hold 49 people, and there have been many more requests from journalists for access to the briefings. Trump’s initial announcement to move the media from the West Wing caused a huge uproar from journalists and everyday people alike, who feared that the proposed move was representative of Trump’s distrust and disdain for the media, and that in moving the briefings from the West Wing, he would actually limit access to his briefings.
On Tuesday, the American Press Corps published an open letter to
Trump saying corps members felt the current relationship between him and the media was “strained” and explaining that even though it is ultimately Trump’s choice whether he allows journalists access to much of his administration, the American Press Corps is not going to back down on finding the truth and reporting it.
To say that Trump’s relationship with the media is “strained” is an understatement. At his press conference on Jan. 11, for example, he refused to even acknowledge CNN reporter Jim Acosta, and yelled, “You are fake news” at him. Spicer then threatened to throw Acosta out of the briefing room if he continued to ask questions. While this sort of behavior from Trump may not be surprising, Spicer’s threat certainly seemed at odds with his reasoning behind moving the briefings: to allow for more media access.
As a section of a news establishment that has been around since 1868 and has long been committed to circulating stories that we have felt to be important and relevant to our readers, The Daily Iowan Editorial Board believes that it is absolutely crucial for the media to be allowed access to all presidential and governmental briefings. A democracy relies on the public dissemination of information in order for all citizens to have an understanding of what is happening in their country and to make informed voting decisions. Furthermore, it is the job of the media, often heralded as the Fourth Estate, to accurately portray this news to the public and to act as one more check and balance on the inner workings of the federal government.
In the next four years, it is absolutely paramount that news organizations across the country, and indeed, even across the world, take the job of reporting the truth and holding those in power accountable seriously. It is also necessary that President Trump recognizes that a free press is a crucial building block of democracy and allows media access to all of his briefings and public meetings. The Daily Iowan stands in solidarity with the American Press Corps and the Committee to Protect Journalists in upholding the First Amendment and with newspaper everywhere that are continuing to strive for the truth.
