NLGJA is proud to join fellow journalism organizations in asking President-elect Donald Trump to respect the relationship of the press and the White House.

The full letter, published by the American Society of News Editors is below. The original version can be found here.

Letter to President-elect Trump in response to his ditching of the press
 
ASNE, 14 other journalism associations ask Trump to  commit to protective press pool for transparency

Dear President-elect Trump,

We, a group of diverse journalism associations representing thousands of journalists  from the nation’s capital to every corner of the country, begin this letter on a hopeful  note. Your administration is a blank slate, and we are eager to work with you to  perpetuate one of this nation’s great strengths: our freedom of the press.

We expect that you, as the new leader of the free world, will preserve longstanding  traditions that ensure coverage of the Trump presidency. The idea of a press pool that  covers all of the president’s movements is one that dates back to the Franklin Delano  Roosevelt administration. Every president of both parties has treated this important  tradition with respect. The role of the press pool is critically important to our country  whose citizens depend on and deserve to know what the president is doing. This isn’t  about access for the press itself; it’s about access for Americans in diverse communities  across the country. Your constituents receive information from a variety of platforms to  learn about what our president is doing.

Being president is an enormous responsibility, and working with the White House Correspondents’ Association  to ensure journalists’ access is one small but important  part of that. We call on you to commit to a protective press pool from now until the final  day of your presidency. We respectfully ask you to instill a spirit of openness and  transparency in your administration in many ways but first and foremost, via  the press pool.

We also call for access to you via regular press conferences and pool sprays and to  your key decision-makers. You have an opportunity as incoming president to set the  tone for your staff speaking on the record for the sake of transparency. We also hope  your administration will improve response rates to FOIA requests as a way to show the  American people, and the world, that the republic belongs to the people.

A great America depends on having sunlight on its leaders. We expect the traditions of  White House press coverage to be upheld whether in Washington or elsewhere. Again  we, a joint group of diverse journalism associations, speak as one as we respectfully  ask that you take these steps to ensure access to our members covering your  administration.

Thomas Burr
President

The National Press Club

Barbara Cochran
President

National Press Club Journalism Institute

Lynn Walsh
President

Society of Professional Journalists

Mizell Stewart III
President

American Society of News Editors

Mike Cavender
Executiv e Director

Radio Television Digital News Association and Foundation

Delphine Halgand
US Director

Reporters Without Borders/RSF

Courtney Radsch
Advocacy Director

Committee to Protect Journalists

Sandy K. Johnson
President

National Press Foundation

Sarah Glover
President

National Association of Black Journalists

Brandon Benavides
President, Board of Directors

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

Bryan Pollard
President

Native American Journalists Association

Paul Cheung
President

Asian American Journalists Association

Jen Christensen
President

NLGJA – The Association of LGBTQ Journalists

Elisa Lees Munoz
Executive director

The International Women’s Media Foundation

Allison Sherry
President
Regional Reporters Association