Letter to President-elect Trump in response to his ditching of the press
Dear President-elect Trump,
We, a group of diverse journalism associations representing thousands of journalists from the nation's capital to every corner of the country, begin this letter on a hopeful note. Your administration is a blank slate, and we are eager to work with you to perpetuate one of this nation’s great strengths: our freedom of the press.
We expect that you, as the new leader of the free world, will preserve longstanding traditions that ensure coverage of the Trump presidency. The idea of a press pool that covers all of the president’s movements is one that dates back to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. Every president of both parties has treated this important tradition with respect. The role of the press pool is critically important to our country whose citizens depend on and deserve to know what the president is doing. This isn't about access for the press itself; it's about access for Americans in diverse communities across the country. Your constituents receive information from a variety of platforms to learn about what our president is doing.
Being president is an enormous responsibility, and working with the White House Correspondents' Association to ensure journalists' access is one small but important part of that. We call on you to commit to a protective press pool from now until the final day of your presidency. We respectfully ask you to instill a spirit of openness and transparency in your administration in many ways but first and foremost, via the press pool.
We also call for access to you via regular press conferences and pool sprays and to your key decision-makers. You have an opportunity as incoming president to set the tone for your staff speaking on the record for the sake of transparency. We also hope your administration will improve response rates to Freedom of Information Act requests as a way to show the American people, and the world, that the republic belongs to the people.
A great America depends on having sunlight on its leaders. We expect the traditions of White House press coverage to be upheld whether in Washington or elsewhere. Again we, a joint group of diverse journalism associations, speak as one as we respectfully ask that you take these steps to ensure access to our members covering your administration.
Thomas Burr
President
The National Press Club
Barbara Cochran
President
National Press Club Journalism Institute
Lynn Walsh
President
Society of Professional Journalists
Mizell Stewart III
President
American Society of News Editors
Mike Cavender
Executiv e Director
Radio Television Digital News Association and Foundation
Delphine Halgand
U.S. Director
Reporters Without Borders/RSF
Courtney Radsch
Advocacy Director
Committee to Protect Journalists
Sandy K. Johnson
President
National Press Foundation
Sarah Glover
President
National Association of Black Journalists
Brandon Benavides
President, Board of Directors
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Bryan Pollard
President
Native American Journalists Association
Paul Cheung
President
Asian American Journalists Association
Jen Christensen
President
National Association of LGBTQ Journalists
Elisa Lees Munoz
Executive director
The International Women's Media Foundation
Allison Sherry
President
Regional Reporters Association
This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 4:07 AM with the headline "Letter to President-elect Trump in response to his ditching of the press."