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.

As the new leader of the free world, we expect that you 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

Executive 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

National Association of LGBTQ Journalists

Elisa Lees Munoz

Executive director

The International Women's Media Foundation

Allison Sherry

President

Regional Reporters Association

Joshua Hatch

President, Board of Directors

Online News Association

Sandra Fish

President

Journalism and Women Symposium

Melissa Lyttle

President

National Press Photographers Association

Lisa Smith Molinari

President

National Society of Newspaper Columnists

Caroline Hendrie

Executive Director

Education Writers Association

Teresa Schmedding

President

American Copy Editors Society

David Gordon

President

International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors

Mark Newton

President

Journalism Education Association

Len Bruzzese

Executive Director

Association of Health Care Journalists

Terry Gildea

President

Public Radio News Directors Inc.

Marsha Hoffman

President

National Federation of Press Women

Laura Widmer

Executive Director

National Scholastic Press Association

Larry Goldbetter

President

National Writers Union

Tiffany McCallen

Chief Operations Officer

Religion News Association

Board of Directors

Broadcast Education Association