White House blocks multiple news outlets from press briefing

Journalists from multiple news outlets were prohibited from attending Friday's press briefing at the White House with spokesman Sean Spicer.

The New York Times, The Hill, Politico, BuzzFeed, the Daily Mail, BBC, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Daily News were among those blocked from taking part in a off-camera "gaggle" inside Spicer's West Wing office.

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Spicer's aides reportedly handpicked a group of news organizations that, the White House said, had been previously confirmed to attend.

Right-leaning media outlets such as Breitbart, the Washington Times and One America News Network were permitted to cover the question-and-answer session along with a number of major news organizations including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Reuters, Bloomberg and McClatchy.

While the Associated Press and Time magazine were granted access into the gaggle, both outlets refused in protest.

The White House Correspondents' Association criticized the decision, saying they are "protesting strongly against how today's gaggle is being handled by the White House."

"We encourage the organizations that were allowed in to share the material with others in the press corps who were not," Jeff Mason, the association's president, said in a statement. "The board will be discussing this further with White House staff."

Twitter erupted over the news, with many journalists and networks condemning the decision.

The White House's hand-picking of select media outlets for Friday's briefing comes only hours after President Trump doubled down on his attack that the "fake news" media is the "enemy of the American people."

"A few days ago, I called the fake news 'the enemy of the people', and they are. They are the enemy of the people," Trump said. "Because they have no sources. They just make them up where there are none."
Trump wrapped up his most recent critique of the media by declaring he would "do something about it."

CNN's communication team issued the following response: