Reporter from pro-Trump channel attends White House coronavirus briefing, defying press corps
The enforcement of rules put in place by the White House Correspondents’ Association is placing OAN in direct conflict with other news organizations.
One day after her employer was kicked out of the rotation to cover daily press briefings by President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, OAN correspondent Chanel Rion was back in the briefing room at press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s request — putting her at odds with the rest of the White House press corps.
Rion also attended Tuesday and Wednesday’s briefings at Grisham’s invitation, standing in the back of the room in violation of new rules put in place by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Those rules were designed to limit the number of journalists in the crowded space and allow for social distancing in line with guidelines from public health officials, the association says.
But their enforcement is placing OAN — an upstart cable outlet that takes a markedly pro-Trump line and whose reporters often lob friendly questions at administration officials — in direct conflict with other news organizations.
On Wednesday evening, just as President Donald Trump was wrapping up in the briefing room, the WHCA’s board emailed members to remind them of the new protocols, which require multiple seats between reporters and bar journalists from standing in the room if their employer is not assigned a seat that day.
“We are writing to inform you that the WHCA Board has voted this evening to remove a news outlet from the rotation for a seat in the briefing room,” the note read, without naming Rion or OAN. “We did this because a reporter for this outlet twice attended press briefings in contravention of this policy. We do not take this action lightly. This is a matter of public safety.”
But OAN President Charles Herring said Rion was present in the briefing room because Grisham had personally extended her an invitation.
“Needless to say, when a media organization is invited by the White House press secretary to attend a presidential briefing, you attend,” he told POLITICO, adding that Rion had been standing in the back of the room to abide by social distancing guidelines.
Herring said Grisham had invited Rion to Thursday’s briefing as well, and that the reporter planned to attend.
Herring said the WHCA was aware of Rion’s invitation from Grisham when it voted to boot OAN from the briefing rotation, where its seat in the room is shared among nine other outlets, nor did the organization indicate that OAN could not accept Grisham’s invitation.
In a tweet Thursday, Rion posted a picture from the very back of the briefing room.
“Physical Update: I am, as I have been these last two days, properly socially distanced from all,” she wrote.
Rion’s attendance sets off a possible clash with the WHCA, which isn’t backing down amid criticism from some conservatives who accuse the association of bias for allegedly singling out a conservative news outlet.
“In order to comply with the social distancing guidelines, and to take steps to ensure the health and safety of the press corps and White House staff, there is no room for reporters who do not have an assigned seat today, or on any given day, to be standing in the briefing room,” WHCA President Jonathan Karl said in a statement, calling the decision entirely related to public health. “If somebody is to be a guest of the White House, they should be sitting in the seats to the side which are set aside for White House staff.”
Grisham did not respond to requests for comment.