WASHINGTON: The White House Correspondents’ Association said on Thursday CNN has rejected multiple requests to include White House pool reporters inside the studio during the first presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump.
The press pool, made up of representatives of major news organizations including Reuters, accompanies the president on foreign and domestic trips and normally has access to any event where he speaks or appears in public, with the goal of keeping the US public informed.
It is extremely rare for them to be barred from an event in the United States.
“WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio,” Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said in a statement.
“The pool is there for the ‘what ifs?’ in a world where the unexpected does happen,” she said, and to provide “context and insight by direct observation and not through the lens of the television production.”
These reporters are there to see what is said and done when the microphones and cameras are off, and provide independent observation, she wrote, with duties “separate from the production of the debate as a news event.”
O’Donnell said both the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to the WHCA’s request.
CNN has only agreed to allow one White House print pool reporter to enter the studio during a commercial break to “briefly observe the setting.”
The network will also allow still photographers from other outlets to cover the candidates inside the studio and will provide a television feed of the debate to other networks.
CNN has put in place many other rules for the first showdown including two commercial breaks, no props and muted microphones except when the candidates are recognized to speak.
The network said in a statement it is a member of the WHCA and respects the role the group plays to further press freedom and access. But the debate was being held without an audience in a CNN studio and is closed to the press, CNN said.
“Precedent matters for future debates,” O’Donnell said, alluding to Biden and Trump’s face off again in September.
The National Association of Black Journalists has also asked CNN to accredit reporters from local Black-owned news organizations, after none of Atlanta’s Black news groups got credentials to be on-site for the debate.
CNN bans White House pool reporters from debate room
https://arab.news/rdctz
CNN bans White House pool reporters from debate room
Independent Arabia celebrates 7th anniversary with global journalism awards
- Journalist Aya Mansour received the Kurt Schork International Journalism Award for her rigorous investigative reporting from Iraq on highly sensitive issues
- ‘SRMG’s support enabled us to reach and connect with massive readership – These awards belong to every journalist:’ Editor-in-Chief Ahdwan Al-Ahmari
LONDON: Independent Arabia on Saturday marked seven years since its launch as a platform for “distinctive content and a bold editorial vision,” having made history as the first Arabic digital outlet to secure licensing rights from an international publication, London-based newspaper The Independent.
Over this seven-year period, the news platform has established itself as a meaningful force within Arab media institutions through political, economic, cultural, and lifestyle coverage that reimagines news delivery and journalistic purpose. By innovating content presentation and format, it has tangibly contributed to reshaping Arabic digital journalism’s landscape.
Recalling the 2019 founding, Editor-in-Chief Ahdwan Al-Ahmari said: “Our fundamental objective was connecting with the widest possible Arab readership. SRMG’s backing enabled us to achieve substantial audience reach through correspondents positioned throughout the Arab region and internationally.”
Since its launch, Independent Arabia has won 11 awards. Its latest came in January 2025 when staff journalist Aya Mansour received the 24th Kurt Schork International Journalism Award in the Local Reporter category for her rigorous investigative reporting from Iraq on highly sensitive issues.
Al-Ahmari dedicated the accolade to every Independent Arabia journalist and media professionals across the Arab world, “particularly our colleagues lost in Yemen and Palestine. I specifically honor Maryam Abu Daqqa, our journalist colleague killed while documenting Gaza’s reality through photography—posthumously recognized at the highest level in Vienna by the International Press Institute with the ‘World Press Freedom Hero’ award.”
“Our initial tagline was ‘Independent Enriches You,’” Al-Ahmari recalled. “As our understanding matured, we recognized that ‘we lie in the details’—prompting the change. Within news media, particularly across SRMG’s distinguished portfolio, integrated coverage matters most. The real competitive edge comes from delivering analytical depth unique to each publication.”
Observing this seventh anniversary milestone, Al-Ahmari expressed appreciation for “everyone contributing publicly and behind the scenes—designers, correspondents, editors, administrative teams—every individual whose dedication keeps us leading the field.”
