The Associated Press did the White House press corp, journalism, and the American pubic a great service when it successfully stood up to an attempt by the Donald Trump Administration to control access to the President in small settings, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.
After being banned from these small groups for having the audacity to ignore President Trump’s unofficial and without legal basis declaration that the Gulf of Mexico be called the Gulf of America, the AP went to court and won, a federal judge ruling the President overstepped.
The example of the Associated Press should now be followed by the White House Correspondents Association which, by tradition, controls the seating chart for the Brady Press room, where the daily press briefings are held and occasionally a Presidential news conference.
Having been a member of the WHCA who occupied a seat in the front row because of my position as White House Correspondent for ABC News, I can tell you how the seats have been traditionally assigned.
The coveted front row was reserved for the news outlets with the largest reach. The Associated Press has the center front row and, by tradition, gets the first question from the press secretary or the President. The AP represents a multitude of smaller clients and has huge reach.
Next came the three major broadcast networks, the cables — including Fox News and CNN, and Reuters, another wire service, filled the row. Behind me in the second row came large newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The middle and back rows were filled with foreign press and smaller outlets such as regional papers. Because of their smaller viewer or reader numbers, many of the right-wing outlets were seated farther back or standing on the sides of the room.
Now that President Donald Trump is in power, those partisan outlets have been clamoring for front-row space. The WHCA should resist. Assigning seats by who you think will not ask tough questions defeats the purpose of the room. Presidents have always been challenged here, and Trump is no different.
I served as White House Correspondent during the Obama administration. Several times, the President did not like our questions. I remember one time in particular, when President Obama had promised consequences for Syria if they crossed the “red line” of using chemical weapons on its people. When evidence emerged that Syria had, in fact, killed its rebel citizens with chlorine gas, the U.S. did nothing. And the press corps called the president on it. He and his staff did not like the questions and complained in private that we had overdone it with repeated follow-ups.
Here is the difference: Obama recognized, while sometimes not appreciating, our role to challenge the President and his team to explain their actions or statements to the American people. His staff complained to us, but there were no threats, no public complaints about being “the enemy of the people.” Some have said that Donald Trump gets more tough questions than past presidents, perhaps because he has more to explain, such as his current tariff plan.
ABC News set a bad precedent by meeting privately with the Trump administration and then agreeing to settle a lawsuit for millions because George Stephanapolous characterized Trump’s conduct in a department store dressing room as “rape” and not “sexual assault.” Even though the judge called Trump’s assault rape in later comments.
CBS is now under attack by lawyers for Donald Trump after shortening a Kamala Harris soundbite during a 60 Minutes profile. Longer transcripts show it did not change the meaning of her statement and all TV journalists know that editing for time is a common practice. CBS, to its credit, continues to fight the suit and most First Amendment lawyers agree the case should be thrown out.
These attacks on the media are not alone. Since his first term, President Trump has attempted to weaken other institutions in order to make the Presidency dominant among the three branches of government. And the fourth estate has been under attack with some success. Trump has encouraged partisan media, making Fox News his voice, second only to Truth Social, where he “tweets” attacks on his enemies.
The result is a damaged press corps, less trusted than ever before.
This is why others must emulate the Associated Press and fight back. Defend journalism at every level. We are not the enemy of the people, we are the people’s eyes, ears, and voice. And it cannot be silenced.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Jim Avila is a weekly news television columnist for Barrett Media. An Award-winning journalist with four decades of reporting and anchoring experience, Jim worked as Senior National Correspondent, 20/20 Correspondent, and White House Correspondent for ABC News. Prior to his time with ABC, he spent a decade with NBC News, and worked locally in Los Angeles and Chicago for KNBC, and WBBM. He recently spent time in San Diego, serving as Senior Team 10 Investigator for KGTV. Jim can be found on Twitter @JimAvilaABC.
No Jim, YOU are the enemy of certain people and your not my voice. Wished Scripps kept you employed to be honest with you. But here you show your true liberal to leftist colors.