ATLANTA — The president of the White House Correspondents' Association has offered a scathing response to CNN , the network hosting the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election , deciding against permitting reporters traveling with President Joe Biden into the studio for his historic head-to-head matchup former President Donald Trump .
"WHCA has been informed that one print reporter will be permitted to enter the studio during a commercial break to briefly observe the setting," WHCA President Kelly O'Donnell, of NBC News, wrote in a statement Thursday. "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," O'Donnell said. "The pool is there for the 'what ifs' in a world where the unexpected does happen. A pool reporter is present to provide context and insight by direct observation and not through the lens of the television production. ... The pool reporter works on behalf of the entire White House press corps. Print pool reports are an important part of the historical record."
O'Donnell confirmed that both the Biden and Trump campaigns were open to having a pool reporter in the room, though the former president has his own rotation of journalists who travel with him.
Biden and Trump's presidential debate Thursday in Atlanta is not only the earliest in history but it will be conducted without an audience and with muted microphones if the candidates speak for more than their allotted time. The format came to be after negotiations between CNN and the campaigns without the Commission on Presidential Debates.
"We don’t know how this will play out in real time," O'Donnell said. "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.
"The White House travel pool has been included in past presidential debates and we believe that standard of access is essential. Precedent matters for future debates," the longtime White House correspondent added. "WHCA respectfully requests that CNN adjust its plan and welcome the White House travel pool print representative to witness the debate in full for the sake of the news cycle, for history and mostly importantly for the American people."
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A CNN spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner the outlet respected the role WHCA play "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," a CNN spokeswoman said. "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," she added. "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."
The 90-minute debate is scheduled to start at 9 p.m.
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