CNN Bans All Pool Reporters From Attending Debate
CNN has imposed a ban permitting any pool reporters from attending Thursday's presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, released a statement this afternoon voicing concerns about the network limiting press access:
For weeks, WHCA has advocated for the inclusion of our White House travel pool inside the studio for the presidential debate. Our work has included outreach to the White House, the campaigns of both President Biden and former President Trump and the debate host network CNN.
We appreciate that CNN is providing a television feed of the debate to other networks and will grant access to still photographers from various news outlets to cover the candidates inside the studio. Those are positive actions that WHCA fully supports.
However, WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio. Through conversations and advocacy, we urged CNN to grant access to at least one print pool reporter for the duration of the debate. WHCA has been informed that one print reporter will be permitted to enter the studio during a commercial break to briefly observe the setting. That is not sufficient in our view and diminishes a core principle of presidential coverage. The White House pool has a duty to document, report and witness the president’s events and his movements on behalf of the American people.
The debate will reportedly include a one-two-minute delay, a departure from the standard seven-second delay of most live television broadcasts.
Moreover, only CNN's cameras are allowed in the studio. So when Biden looks dazed, don't expect to see it.
O’Donnell notes in her release that both the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign supported having WHCA reporters on site. CNN made the unilateral decision to say no.
CNN is already facing mounting skepticism from Trump's camp and viewers about the objectivity of the debate moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash – both of whom have repeatedly likened Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Bash's ex-husband, Jeremy, is also one of the 51 U.S. intelligence veterans who signed a letter suggesting the infamous Hunter Biden laptop story could be part of a Russian disinformation operation.
Banning pool reporters only increases concerns that the network can and will manipulate the coverage.
"CNN has banned non-CNN apparatchiks from even being physically present at the debate, because CNN plans to rig the debate—and potentially even edit or fabricate footage—without any third-party observers to hold them accountable. The level of corruption here is so insane that it’s almost comical," Sean David, co-founder of The Federalist, posted on X.
CNN could have shut down theories like those. Instead, it opted for overly restrictive, schoolkid-like rules for the candidates.
The debate will not feature an in-studio audience and the format calls for silencing the candidates’ microphones when they are not asked a question. Tapper and Bash decide when to mute the mics.
As WHCA argues, "A pool reporter is there to observe what is said and done when microphones are off or when either candidate is not seen on camera but may speak, gesture, move, or engage in some way."
A CNN spokesperson issued the following word-salad statement to OutKick, which does not remotely address any of the concerns levied by us or the White House Correspondents’ Association:
"As proud members of the White House Correspondents Association, we respect the role the organization plays and their support for press freedom and access. CNN’s Presidential Debate is being held without an audience in a CNN studio and is closed to press. The feed was made available to Washington Pool Members, Washington Pool subscribers and CNN Affiliates, and is also available to embed via CNN’s YouTube channel without charge for digital outlets and is available on CNN.com. Following our traditional approach, CNN is providing access to the debate studio for a tight pool of photographers for the duration of the event and a larger group of photographers during a commercial break. In addition, CNN is providing access to the debate hall for the designated print pool reporter during the first commercial break to allow them to provide a pool report from inside the debate studio."
OutKick will provide live coverage of the debate tonight, including instant analysis, viral moments, and what role CNN plays in the outcome.