White House spokesman's strange request at press conference

White House spokesman Sean Spicer angered many reporters by not allowing them to bring cameras into the press briefing room on June 26.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer. Photo: Reuters

According toReutersMany reporters attending the regular press conference at the White House on June 26 expressed their dissatisfaction when White House spokesman Sean Spicer banned them from bringing cameras into the briefing room. Mr. Spicer said this was part of an effort to change the press conference habit.

“Why aren't cameras allowed in?” reporter Jim Acosta of the stationCNNshouted loudly, while other reporters also angrily responded.

“You are a spokesman for the United States government, working on taxpayers’ money. Can you at least explain to us why cameras are banned?” Acosta asked Spicer.

During the press conference, Mr. Spicer answered questions about President Donald Trump's health care reform bill, the Supreme Court's ruling on the president's immigration ban and the US leader's Twitter posts about investigations related to suspected Russian interference in the 2016 US election. However, reporters were only allowed to record audio during this meeting.

A few weeks earlier, Mr. Spicer had begun enforcing a new rule in press conferences that only static cameras were allowed, with live television cameras banned.

White House press conferences have been broadcast live on television since the 1990s, under former President Bill Clinton. At that time, former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry decided to do this to ensure that the public could also watch the press conferences live.

However, the current White House spokesman said reporters have been abusing cameras during press conferences. According to Mr. Spicer, there is nothing wrong with changing such habits.

“We will allow cameras some days and not some days,” Mr. Spicer said.

Meanwhile, the White House Correspondents' Association has called on Mr. Spicer to continue to allow live broadcasts of regular press briefings to ensure transparency as well as a stable democracy.

According to Dan Tri