White House journalists consider briefing room ‘sit-in’ protest: Report

• Journalists at the White House are considering a sit-in protest in response to proposed changes in the press briefing room seating arrangement, which the Trump administration wants to adjust based on media consumption metrics.
• The White House Communications Director responded dismissively to the potential protest, while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the briefing room belongs to the public.
• The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has been managing seating for decades and seeks a conversation with the administration, emphasizing their efforts to include diverse outlets and regional reporters.

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Journalists covering news at the White House are reportedly considering a sit-in protest. The possible move came as a response to the administration’s proposal to change the seating arrangement within the press briefing room.

According to the news outlet Semafor, the protest came up when members of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which has managed the briefing room seating chart for decades, met Sunday, March 30, to discuss potential options if the Trump administration decides to determine where reporters sit.

Axios reported the administration has potential plans to change up how the room’s organized, saying it would be “based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today.”

What is the current seating arrangement?

Wire services, broadcast and cable networks sit in the front row, major newspapers and radio get the second and third rows and a variety of other news organizations sit further back. 

Semafor reached out to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung for a comment on the possible sit-in protest by reporters.

Cheung responded with laughter writing back:

“Hahahahahahahaha…..…hahahahahahahahaha.”

Why does the Trump administration want to change the seating?

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration tried to “broker a meeting” with the WHCA.

“I would remind them that the briefing room is part of the people’s house,” Leavitt said on Fox News Monday, March 31. “It does not belong to elitist journalists here in Washington, D.C. 

Leavitt said the administration’s potential changes are an effort to encourage employees at “new media” outlets, including podcasters and streaming sites, to join reporters at large legacy organizations like CNN and The New York Times in covering the White House.

The WHCA released a statement Monday saying it also tried requesting a conversation with the White House and added dozens of new outlets to its ranks over the last two decades. 

“We’ve also established rotations for regional reporters and foreign reporters to make sure more and diverse outlets get their shot,” the WHCA board said.

Past presidents of both parties complied with the WHCA’s seating structure, but Conservative-leaning outlets like Breitbart News have said the association carries too much influence in deciding which journalists get preferred access to the president or the press secretary.