The most important thing to understand about White House reporting is that the entire system is set up to benefit establishment and corporate media outlets. Contrary to popular belief, whichever administration is in the White House plays a relatively small role in determining press access. They determine who gets a press pass, but most other decisions relating to coverage are outsourced to the White House Correspondents Association.
The WHCA creates the seating chart in the briefing room, determining who is most likely to be called on by a press secretary. They place correspondents from the large broadcast and cable networks in the front rows. Only a couple of conservative outlets are given seats at all, and they are plopped in the back. Everyone else has to stand in the aisles, throw some elbows to retain some personal space, and pray they get called on. The Daily Caller just recently gained a seat in the briefing room; it did not have one when I covered the White House. The Spectator does not have one either.
To get a good space in an aisle during the Trump administration, you had to arrive about an hour before the briefing to save your spot, while the reporters with seats can stroll in after the two-minute warning. The conservative and independent outlets forced into the aisles are placed at a huge disadvantage because they are out of the press secretary’s line of sight. If you’ve ever watched a press briefing and felt like everyone was asking the same questions,
