Brian Stelter is beside himself. His White House Press Corps colleagues are being forced to suffer the cruelest of inhuman humiliations.
Assigned seats.
How dare the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt deny them, the legacy media, the fourth estate, a front-row seat?
How dare they challenge the authority of the White House Correspondents' Association?
The WHCA has controlled access and seating arrangements in the White House briefing room since 2006.
"The White House plans to impose its own seating chart for reporters in the briefing room in coming weeks, taking over a function long managed by the reporters themselves through the White House Correspondents' Association," @mikeallen reports this morning
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 30, 2025
"Major legacy outlets will still be included. But expect some to have diminished visibility compared with their customary spots in the first few rows." https://t.co/rqGINbBzJA
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 30, 2025
Diminished visibility, how will they go on?
Of course, the real issue with legacy media's visibility is with their viewers, readers, and subscribers. They are less visible to the public than they've ever been. The rise of online media outlets has changed how the public consumes media. Outlets like Townhall Media (wink, wink) are being given more access by the White House because more and more people go online to get their news. The White House position makes perfect sense.
Tater himself embedded an article by Axios on the changes the White House is implementing.
The decision re who gets to sit in taxpayer provided seats in a government building should not be made by journalists. It should be made by the press sec, as was standard until 2006.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) March 30, 2025
🎤 Scoop: White House to impose briefing-room seating chart https://t.co/7ibRTltgfP #axiosam
Still, the WHCA is trying to come to a compromise and hold on to whatever influence they can.
Some members of the correspondents' association (WHCA) have been looking for ways to de-escalate. A senior White House official told Axios that a WHCA member had privately raised the possibility of changing the organization's bylaws so the sitting White House press secretary, currently Karoline Leavitt, always serves as WHCA president.
Old habits die hard, and some in the legacy media feel they are entitled to maintain control of access and seating in the briefing room. Unfortunately for them, the White House disagrees.
Discussing the coming seating chart, the senior White House official said plans have already been formalized for a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today."
- The new layout will include representatives of TV, print and digital outlets. The digital assignments will include both online influencers and newer organizations such as Axios, NOTUS and Punchbowl.
"The goal isn't merely favorable coverage," said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss plans that haven't been announced. "It's truly an honest look at consumption [of the outlets' coverage]. Influencers are important but it's tough because they aren't [equipped to provide] consistent coverage. So the ability to cover the White House is part of the metrics."
- Major legacy outlets will still be included. But expect some to have diminished visibility compared with their customary spots in the first few rows. "We want to balance disruption with responsibility," the official said.
The White House isn't restricting access. It is expanding it to as many outlets as possible. The WHCA doesn't like losing control of which outlets get access and where they sit in the briefing room when they do.
Change is hard.
So, the commies will have to sit in the back?
— Randy Holcombe (@beachboyhhi) March 30, 2025
Not every day, but yes, sometimes the commies will be in the back.
🚨🚨🚨NEW in @axios AM:@WhiteHouse to impose new Briefing Room seating chart, which for decades was managed by @whca, in coming weeks
— Mike Allen (@mikeallen) March 30, 2025
WH official tells me it's a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today"👇 pic.twitter.com/OsxNUnffzv
The White House is adjusting to how the public consumes news by giving more outlets access to the briefing room. The WHCA and the legacy are having a hard time adjusting to the new reality.
As our readers know, Townhall's own Katie Pavlich has already received her invite to the White House briefing room. We're still patiently waiting for Twitchy's Air Force One press pass. We'd love to see the look on Tater's face if that ever happened.
Talk about pearl clutching.
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