RTDNA Opposes Trump's Threat to End Briefings

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, May 12, 2017

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has joined the White House Correspondents' Association in opposing President Trump's implication in a post on Twitter that he's considering ending White House press briefings. "President Trump's latest reaction to his perceived mistreatment by the news media poses yet another level of threat to the First Amendment," said Dan Shelley, Incoming Executive Director, who spearheads RTDNA's Voice of the First Amendment Task Force.

"Responsible journalism that reveals facts to inform the public is not 'fake news,' Mr. President," Shelley said. In response to the President's tweet, the White House Correspondents' Association President Jeff Mason issued a statement:

"White House briefings and press conferences provide substantive and symbolic opportunities for journalists to pose questions to officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government. That exercise, conducted in full view of our republic's citizens, is clearly in line with the spirit of the First Amendment. Doing away with briefings would reduce accountability, transparency, and the opportunity for Americans to see that, in the U.S. system, no political figure is above being questioned. The White House Correspondents' Association would object to any move that would threaten those constitutionally-protected principles."

"RTDNA is proud to stand with the White House Correspondents' Association in standing up to the President's latest assault on responsible, factual reporting," added Shelley.