Overview
- An NSC memo taking immediate effect requires accredited reporters to schedule appointments to enter Room 140 near the president’s office.
- Walk-in access to the offices of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, deputy Steven Cheung and other senior staff is no longer permitted.
- The memo cites structural changes that put press-office staff in routine contact with sensitive information as the reason for the new limits.
- The move follows Pentagon rules introduced earlier in the month that tie press accreditation to signing a directive rejected by at least 30 outlets, including Reuters.
- The White House Correspondents’ Association criticized the restrictions as impeding reporter access, and earlier this year Reuters, AP and Bloomberg were removed from the presidential pool.