According to an Axios report, White House News Photographers Association president Jessica Koscielniak has written Kamala Harris’ aides about the “unprecedented reduction in access” to the Democratic Party presidential candidate.
“The WHNPA strongly calls on the Harris campaign to reconsider the number of media seats allowed on Air Force 2,” Koscielniak wrote in her letter.
From Axios:
The WHNPA wrote that the group heard the number of seats had to be reduced for security reasons and proposed either adding a “chaser plane” for additional media or the White House Correspondent Association (WHCA) reorganizing who gets a seat.
In an email, Koscielniak said that the WHNPA “did not receive a response and the situation has not improved.”
The letter was addressed to Harris’ top communications aides and the head of the WHCA.
The WHCA pushed the Harris team for weeks for more seats on the plane or a chase plane, a person familiar with the matter said.
Doug Mills, a veteran White House news photographer speaking in his personal capacity, told Axios that “the current situation puts the still photographers at a distinct disadvantage on every trip.”
“It’s essential to us for people to understand the importance of having a full photographer pool. Every photographer sees each event differently,” Mills added.
“It’s very disappointing,” Koscielniak told Axios in responding to the letter. “This is the smallest number of media to travel for a presidential race in my memory. When Vice President Harris became the presidential nominee, it should have been negotiated by the WHCA that the full 13-member travel pool be on her plane.”
New: In an Aug. 28 letter obtained by Axios, the WH News Photographers Association said Harris' team was engaging in an "unprecedented reduction in access.”
The VP’s team didn’t respond until last night after we asked about the letter
W/ @sarafischer https://t.co/OOch8LDqWX pic.twitter.com/qkl5MaStBr
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) September 12, 2024
More over at Axios:
News photographers slam Harris for reduced access https://t.co/gREv5YxeB5
— Axios (@axios) September 12, 2024