The White House Correspondents’ Association denounced new rules enacted Friday limiting credentialed journalists’ access in the West Wing, saying that such limitations on newsgathering is a “detriment to the American public.”
“The White House Correspondents’ Association unequivocally opposes any effort to limit journalists from areas within the communications operations of the White House that have long been open for newsgathering, including the press secretary’s office,” WHCA President Weijia Jiang said in a statement Friday.
“The new restrictions hinder the press corps’ ability to question officials, ensure transparency and hold the government accountable, to the detriment of the American public,” she added.
The new rules block journalists’ access to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s office, as well as other top communication officials’ workspaces near the Oval Office in the “Room 140” hallway, without a prior appointment. The move was announced by the National Security Council, which cited the need to protect sensitive information from the media.
Statement on New Restriction on Journalists at White House. pic.twitter.com/rE7F4Ou1hh
— WHCA (@whca) October 31, 2025
“In order to protect such material, and maintain coordination between National Security Council Staff and White House Communications Staff, members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval in the form of an appointment with an authorized White House Staff Member,” the Council memo said.
The West Wing restrictions mark the latest block placed on journalists in the nation’s capitol, most recently following the Defense Department’s highly derided media access requirements earlier this month that led to a majority of reputable mainstream media outlets — from The New York Times to Fox News — vacating their longstanding offices in the Pentagon.
The Defense Department’s new press policy blocks journalists from soliciting information the department has not authorized for release, a major shift in the typical press rapport with the Pentagon.
