The Trump White House faced widespread criticism on Tuesday after Vice President Mike Pence conducted a press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, but members of the media were not allowed to record video or audio.
The administration ― which only last week vowed to be “aggressively transparent” with the public about the spread of the virus that has now killed nine people in the U.S. ― only allowed still photographs to be taken, CNN’s Jim Acosta and other journalists in attendance tweeted.
WH is allowing only still photos of this Coronavirus briefing. No audio or video permitted. Here is a photo of the VP as the briefing began. pic.twitter.com/kB05s6IRvO
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) March 3, 2020
“I asked Pence why the Coronavirus briefing is off camera today. He said he believes the briefing will be back on cam tomorrow,” Acosta later posted, noting “the closest thing to an explanation we got” was “when Pence said Trump was on camera a bunch today.”
Obama-era White House chief photographer Pete Souza said he “can’t ever remember a time when a VP or POTUS spoke in the White House press briefing room and video/audio was prohibited.”
“It’s like they’re imploding,” added Walter Shaub, the former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
The Trump administration’s coronavirus response has been widely criticized as disorganized and slow. Trump himself has repeatedly sought to downplay the risks, sometimes with outright falsehoods.
So the purpose of the briefing isn’t to communicate vital information to the public, but just to serve as a photo op?
Awesome. https://t.co/uG8nhgMcWa
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) March 3, 2020
I can’t ever remember a time when a VP or POTUS spoke in the White House press briefing room and video/audio was prohibited. Maybe ask resident expert @markknoller if this is a first. https://t.co/EXjmkgPVhp
— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) March 3, 2020
Hmm.
No audio or video allowed at this coronavirus press conference.
So…the public can’t see & hear—and evaluate what’s happening for themselves.
If it’s an emergency, the public needs to be informed.
If it’s not an emergency, the public should be told. https://t.co/buHwPm1DiR
— Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755) March 3, 2020
Will courtroom sketch artists replace photographers in the next briefing?
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 3, 2020
This is unacceptable. The American people, including state and local public health officials, need credible information — not a still photo of @VP surrounded by officials. https://t.co/XvABrm1bqZ
— Rep. Harley Rouda (@RepHarley) March 3, 2020
To be clear – a briefing intended to inform the public and keep the public safe is being blocked from the public? https://t.co/OOSli6V4ja
— Sarah Brooks (@Sarah_K_Brooks) March 4, 2020
What’s going on here? Yesterday @VP bragged about how “we’ll be back here everyday. Get used to seeing us.”
But now, no cameras or even audio? This reeks of an effort to avoid scrutiny in real time from the public health community. https://t.co/rN0LVhuUGD
— Matt Shuham (@mattshuham) March 3, 2020
No, actually that’s video. It’s their cunning new plan. Remain absolutely motionless, and maybe the virus won’t spot you. These guys are on top of it after all. https://t.co/PT0tu99n0J
— Michael Marshall Smith (@ememess) March 3, 2020
Surely someone in that room is going to be a hero, right? If the commitment to journalism is such that some of you can’t feel you should even vote, certainly you’d feel compelled to make sure the people heard and…we aren’t getting tape, are we? https://t.co/n3wjJs4IsU
— jamilah (read bio before DMing) (@JamilahLemieux) March 3, 2020
That’s probably the best way to make sure nothing is misquoted or taken out of context.
Oh wait, no, sorry, I meant that is probably the best way to BE SURE things are misquoted or taken out of context.
This is fine. https://t.co/RNAQxQtfOl
— Matt Singley (@mattsingley) March 4, 2020
Someone pls explain to me WHY the Trump administration won’t allow news audio or video of its #Covid_19 briefing. I truly do not understand this. It’s unnerving. https://t.co/9q8ifDOMAy
— Aisha Sultan (@AishaS) March 3, 2020
