White House Says Access Is a 'Privilege' in Court Filing Defending Media Ban

legitster

What's crazy is when asked at one point, Trump specifically referred to it as the "ban on free press". So rhetorically it's not like he's dancing around the constitutionality.

dataflow

I feel like this they're deliberately framing it this way to lay a trap for the courts, because accepting this framing doesn't really seem to leave a whole lot of legal wiggle room. After all, legally speaking, what is it exactly, if not a privilege? If it's a right, then basically any citizen should be allowed in, subject to fair/non-discriminatory constraints, like capacity... is/should that be the case? If it's neither then what is it?

frogperson

Rights must be demanded and defended constanrly, otherwise some tin pot dictator will take them without much of a fight. Do you what your rights or not?

philwelch

There’s no reason, in 2026, that the White House, or any other organization, needs to accommodate third party journalists. It’s never been easier to get your own message out there.

ElevenLathe

I honestly don't understand what supposedly pro-social purpose is served by reporting on what the appointed head propagandist says from the official propaganda room in the presidential palace. A self respecting reporter should be ashamed to let anyone see their White House press credentials. Aren't we, the reading public, better served by reporters developing sources, investigating things, and maybe reporting on something the government doesn't want to be in the news?

mitchbob

https://archive.ph/h6h43

slowmovintarget

This is not a First Amendment issue. The press is still free to write their own stories. This is not a censorship issue, as no one is being censored. This _is_ a tradition issue, but the notion that the Press gets to decide who should be in that briefing room is silly. The notion that the courts should intervene is stupid. Should Trump have revoked her credentials? Probably not, but this is really small potatoes. The breathlessness and pearl-clutching over it, and the cries of "treason" in this very thread... are deeply unserious.

monideas

For 99.9% of people when they talk about “rights” they just mean “I feel entitled to this, this makes me feel good”