Khaberni - The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, on Friday, prevented journalists from entering a part of the White House press office, justifying this by the need to protect "sensitive materials".
The National Security Council announced the new procedure at the White House in a memo titled "Protecting Sensitive Materials in the Upper Press Area".
The memo, sent to White House Director of Communications Stephen Cheung, stated that reporters are no longer allowed to visit the section housing the office of White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt "without prior approval and by appointment only".
Reporters are now prohibited from entering the "Upper Press Area" without prior appointment. This area, located near the Oval Office, houses the office of White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt.
Reporters usually aim for this area in an attempt to speak with Levitt or other top media officials to get or confirm information.
The memo added, "This policy will ensure compliance with best practices related to access to sensitive materials".
Later, Cheung defended the decision - via the X platform - saying that "some reporters were caught secretly recording video and audio in our offices, in addition to photographing sensitive information, without permission".
He added that "ministers routinely come to our offices for private meetings, only to be ambushed by reporters waiting outside our doors," accusing reporters also of "eavesdropping on the private, closed meetings".
Cheung, a long-time Trump supporter known for his adversarial stance against social media, provided no evidence for these claims.
Media representatives still have access to the "Lower Press Area" next to the famous briefing room at the White House, where offices of lower-ranking media officials are located.
These measures come amidst broader restrictions placed on journalists by the Trump administration, including a new rules directive at the Department of Defense (Pentagon) that major media outlets - including Agence France-Presse - refused to sign earlier this month.
The Trump administration has radically altered how reporters operate in the White House since returning to power, barring major media outlets from accessing the Oval Office or the presidential aircraft, while granting more space to right-wing media supportive of Trump.
American media reported that the administration of former Democratic President Bill Clinton also sought to restrict access to the Upper Press Area before backing down on this.
