Pro-Trump Media Has A New Obsession: The White House Briefing Room - 2017-03-28

Pro-Trump Media Has A New Obsession: The White House Briefing Room March 28, 2017, Charlie Warzel, BuzzFeed News

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Following Trump administration press secretary Sean Spicer's pledge to establish a White House press corps with voices "outside of Washington," a number of unabashedly Trump-friendly news outlets have made the pilgrimage to the West Wing briefing room — the symbolic heart of the establishment. Their goal: to bring their anti-elite, pro-Trump, and occasionally trollish brand of coverage to the White House.

For some of these self-described "real news" outlets and personalities, landing a seat in the White House briefing room is vindication of their often sensational and semi-factual 2016 presidential campaign stories, which some believe undermined the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and helped propel Donald Trump to the Oval Office. For others, it's a chance to ask questions the mainstream media won't touch. And for many, there's a singular benefit worth the trip to Washington alone: the exposure that comes from seeing and being seen on the highest-rated show on daytime TV.

"The briefing room has become a piece of pop culture for this generation and the people who followed the election every day on TV and are now glued to the day-to-day," one newer White House correspondent told BuzzFeed News. For the reporter, being in the room brings with it the intoxicating proposition of asking a question that could set news cycle for the day — or the week. "And so it's definitely an opportunity for far-right, crazy blogosphere types to make a name for themselves. It's that way for anyone new but definitely true for the far-right guys. Everyone's watching."

Wikipedia cite:

{{cite news | first = Charlie | last = Warzel | title = Pro-Trump Media Has A New Obsession: The White House Briefing Room | url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/charliewarzel/pro-trump-media-has-a-new-obsession-the-white-house | work = BuzzFeed News | date = March 28, 2017 | accessdate = September 22, 2020 }}