In what’s being called breaking news, the Dalai Lama will meet with President Obama at the White House Wednesday.
#BREAKING Obama to meet Dalai Lama at White House on Wednesday
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 14, 2016
The news isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, as the two have met before. The Dalai Lama was an honored guest at the Capitol today, so he’s in the neighborhood and might as well stop and say hi.
Today in the Capitol, we welcomed the @DalaiLama who shared his encouraging vision of compassion & hope for all. pic.twitter.com/mwdiFcKxeT
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 14, 2016
Also to be filed under not-so-groundbreaking: There will be no press access to the meeting.
President Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama at the White House tomorrow morning. No press access
— Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz) June 14, 2016
Closed press. And the Lama's all, "hey Obama, how about something for the effort?" https://t.co/MfJP3zD2aQ
— Ali Rogin (@AliRogin) June 14, 2016
WH: Tomorrow the President will meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the White House. No access for pool
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) June 14, 2016
Not much has changed since 2013, when the most transparent administration ever butted heads with the White House Correspondents’ Association, the American Society of News Editors, the Associated Press Media Editors, and the White House News Photographers Association. All signed letters protesting the White House’s ban on photographers during events at which the White House has its own official photographers and videographers present.
In February 2014, when President Obama met with the Dalai Lama, several media outlets refused to run an official souvenir photo of the meeting handed out to reporters by the White House.
Pool photographers did manage to capture their own photos of the Dalai Lama at the White House in 2010, when he was famously led out through the Palm Room doors and past piles of trash — “the easiest, quickest, and most convenient way” to get to the waiting press, Tommy Vietor later explained.
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