The White House press office on Friday unveiled more stringent guidelines for its press “hard passes,” which allow journalists to more regularly access White House grounds than temporary day passes, and which typically take several months to authorize and process.
In a letter sent to all current hard pass holders, the press office expressed its intent to revise the hard pass requirements to “be consistent with that of prior administrations.” Confider reported in March that the Biden administration had sought to return to Obama-era credentialing rules, a change that would likely impact fringe reporters who had become notorious for disrupting press briefings on a near-routine basis.
Under the new policy, all current hard passes would expire at the end of July, allowing journalists close to three months to put in their requests for renewal under the new guidelines. The credentials are then good for one year and are subject to annual renewal.
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In order for a journalist to receive a hard pass, the applicant’s bureau chief or supervisor will need to email a letter to the White House press office. If that news organization is requesting hard passes for more than one employee, it doesn’t need to send multiple letters.
The crux of the changes centers around the condition that all applicants work for a reputable news outlet. According to the press office, hard pass requests need to be written on official letterhead from the journalist’s employer. Additionally, the media outlet’s contact person needs to verify that the applicant meets all of the press office’s credentialing requirements.
The requirements include full-time employment with an outlet whose primary business is news gathering. If the applicant is a freelancer, the press office needs letters from at least two news organizations describing their affiliation. If that freelancer primarily works for just one organization, that organization needs to describe the extent and duration of the applicant’s relationship with the outlet.
Applicants also need to have a physical address within the greater Washington, D.C. area. This could be either residential or professional, such as an office of the outlet where they’re employed. (Many current White House correspondents and photographers moved out of D.C. during the pandemic, and now commute to the city whenever they’re covering the White House.)
Additionally, the press office now requires applicants to have been on the White House grounds within the past six months, or have proof of employment to cover the White House within the past three months. Furthermore, anyone seeking to obtain a hard pass needs to be assigned by their outlet to cover the White House or provide technical support in its coverage.
Finally, to obtain a hard pass from the White House, journalists also need to be accredited by the press galleries of either the Supreme Court or one of the chambers of Congress and be willing to submit to any additional investigation by the Secret Service.
“The White House expects that all hard pass holders will act in a professional manner while on White House grounds by respecting their colleagues, White House employees, and guests; observing stated restrictions on access to areas of the White House or credentialed events; and not impeding events or briefings on campus,” the letter concludes. “Absent security concerns involving the United States Secret Service or other exigent circumstances, the White House will provide a written warning to you if your conduct violates these expectations. Subsequent violations may lead to the suspension or revocation of your hard pass, following notice and an opportunity to respond.”
Journalists who are unable to qualify for a hard pass under the new guidelines can still enter the White House complex if they apply in advance for a temporary one-day credential.
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Shortly after President Joe Biden took office and after COVID restrictions were lifted, the White House began rolling back some of the strict restrictions the previous administration had placed on hard passes. Namely, in 2019, amid former President Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with the mainstream press, his White House implemented new rules that required reporters to be on the grounds at least 50 percent of the time prior to renewing their credentials.
While the Biden administration’s lenient stance on hard passes was initially celebrated by foreign press members and independent journalists who’d long had difficulty obtaining credentials, the briefing room chaos that soon ensued prompted some White House reporters to wonder if the rules had become too lax. However, because it goes against its mission as a First Amendment group, the White House Correspondents’ Association would not advocate for revoking a journalist’s hard pass.
Over the past couple of years, gadfly reporter Simon Ateba—who appears to be the sole staffer of the website Today News Africa—has gained right-wing media celebrity status for his repeated outbursts and interruption during press briefings. While the press office has considered stiffening the accreditation rules for a year now, sources told The Daily Beast that Ateba had also been a disruptive force in the press corps throughout that entire time.
Any attempts by the WHCA to discipline Ateba for his over-the-top antics have only served to embolden him, it seems. Now calling himself an “influencer,” Ateba has seen his notoriety grow thanks to his disruptive behavior. In the end, the association rejected his membership, noting that he was unable to prove that he was employed by a reputable news organization.
Other fringe journalists would also likely be affected by the new rule changes, including freelance photographer William Moon, who has run afoul of White House correspondents and the press office over his alleged inappropriate behavior.
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