Responding to the White House’s ban of news outlets, News Media Association Chief Executive Theo Bamber said: “The ban of news outlets from the White House is a stark reminder that press freedom must never be taken for granted.
“Using access as a reward for favourable coverage is a dangerous choice. This blatant and unashamed attempt to avoid scrutiny shows how easy it is for the democratic contract of accountability to be bruised in an instant. Left unchecked, examples like this will be used as an excuse and motivation for the same to happen in other counties around the world.
“We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the United States media in their fight to uphold the basic principles of journalistic freedom. We hope that world leaders in New York will take the opportunity to remind the President that a free and plural press is a critical element of any healthy democracy and suggest he should be running towards accountability and transparency, not away from it.”
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