Hours before the first presidential debate is set to begin, White House correspondents are publicly voicing frustration about the lack of studio access CNN is giving to the press for its debate coverage.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is asking CNN to allow at least one White House pool reporter inside CNN’s studio for the entirety of the debate to ensure at least one independent observer will be present.
“WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio. Through conversations and advocacy, we urged CNN to grant access to at least one print pool reporter for the duration of the debate,” the WHCA said in a statement on Thursday.
“WHCA has been informed that one print reporter will be permitted to enter the studio during a commercial break to briefly observe the setting. That is not sufficient in our view and diminishes a core principle of presidential coverage.”
The debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern. No studio audience will be present and the candidates’ mics will be muted when it is not their turn to speak or their time to respond to a question expires. Some of the debate rules are a departure from past presidential debates and could present complications for the candidates.
Biden and Trump agreed to the debate rules last month after a morning of online taunts resulted in two presidential debates being agreed upon. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify for the CNN debate.
“As proud members of the White House Correspondents Association, we respect the role the organization plays 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. 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,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement provided to National Review.
“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. 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.”
CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper will be moderating the presidential debate. Earlier this week, CNN host Kasie Hunt prematurely ended an interview with Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt when she began to criticize Tapper’s past comments likening Trump to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Trump and his campaign have been raising expectations for Biden, referencing his decades of political experience and strong vice-presidential debate against Paul Ryan during the 2012 campaign. On the other hand, MAGA world has been criticizing Bash and Tapper’s past coverage of Trump for CNN.
“Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are well respected veteran journalists who have covered politics for more than five decades combined,” a CNN spokesperson previously told NR.
“They have extensive experience moderating major political debates, including CNN’s Republican Presidential Primary Debate this cycle. There are no two people better equipped to co-moderate a substantial and fact-based discussion and we look forward to the debate on June 27 in Atlanta.”
Over the past week, Biden and his advisers have been preparing for the debate as he seeks to mitigate the public’s concerns about his age, 81, and mental fitness.