Two sites that amplify hoaxes given special treatment at Trump’s briefings despite restrictions

By Paul Farhi
8/14/2020, 8:37:00 p.m.

The White House press corps just got a little more Trump-friendly, thanks to a bit of maneuvering by the White House itself.

Representatives of the Gateway Pundit and Epoch Times — two outlets with a conspiratorial bent and a long record of editorial support for President Trump — were admitted to the White House briefing room this week. Trump called on both of them to ask questions during his televised news conferences.

Under normal circumstances, this might not amount to much, given the dozens of reporters who pack into the briefing room. But starting in March, the coronavirus pandemic prompted strict limits on the number of reporters who can attend each briefing.

Under an agreement between the White House press office and the group representing reporters, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), the limit was eventually set at 14, a number that allows reporters to maintain an appropriate distance from each other. News organizations that want in on the briefings have to wait their turn; the WHCA set up a rotation system, giving each outlet a shot about once every 10 days.

Gateway Pundit and Epoch Times both jumped the line with the White House’s blessing starting on Thursday. They joined conservative cable network One America News (OAN), whose correspondent was initially barred by the WHCA but has been granted an exemption by Trump since April.

In effect, the White House appears to have violated its own agreement to bring in representatives of organizations seen as sympathetic to the president.

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