White House Preparing New Press Briefing Plan to (Literally) Put Mainstream Media Outlets in Their Place: Report

The Biden administration is reportedly moving forward with a plan to overhaul the seating arrangement in the White House press briefing room, a change that would remove this responsibility from the White House Correspondents' Association.

Axios disclosed that a senior White House official, speaking anonymously, revealed that a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today" has already been finalized.

“The goal isn’t merely favorable coverage,” the official explained. “It’s truly an honest look at consumption [of the outlets’ coverage]. Influencers are important but it’s tough because they aren’t [equipped to provide] consistent coverage. So the ability to cover the White House is part of the metrics.”

Axios highlighted that "prominent seats in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room are coveted because it’s easier to catch the press secretary’s eye to ask tough and probing questions."

“Those correspondents’ interactions are also more likely to be showcased on TV,” the outlet further noted.

The current seating chart, established by the WHCA, places major broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC at the front, alongside cable news outlets Fox News and CNN, as well as news agencies like the Associated Press and Reuters.

Behind them, the second row consists of leading print and radio organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and USA Today.

Most of these outlets lean left politically, with Fox News and The Wall Street Journal being notable exceptions, while USA Today is often considered center-left.

This initiative follows the White House’s recent move to revoke the WHCA’s authority in selecting members of the press pool for more exclusive settings, such as Air Force One or the Oval Office.

“For decades, you have a group of journalists based here in Washington, D.C., who dictate which reporters go into the most intimate spaces of the American presidency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

“That system hasn’t changed since the early 1900s. Obviously, the media today in 2025 looks a heck of a lot different than it did when the White House Correspondents’ Association was formed,” she continued.

“So moving forward, we’re going to expand the pool’s access to the president to non-traditional journalists. Legacy media will still have a seat, just like they still have a seat in our briefing room, but we’re going to bring in new voices into the fold,” Leavitt stated.

Restructuring the seating plan in the briefing room appears to be a much-needed adjustment.

For years, major legacy media outlets have dominated the most influential positions. This shift could provide a more balanced and diverse range of perspectives in White House press briefings.