The White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) submitted a letter to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign to complain of what it calls an “unprecedented reduction in access” as its four photographer seats have been reduced to one.
According to the letter which was seen by Axios, the WHNPA argues it is a continuation of a reduction in access for its press photographers, which has typically been four but is now down to just one according to Jessia Koscielniak, president of the WHNPA.
“The WHNPA strongly calls on the Harris campaign to reconsider the number of media seats allowed on Air Force 2,” the letter reads, according to Axios. The letter has not been publicly published.
The letter notes that while the reduction in press pool seats was rationalized to the WHNPA as a security measure, a suggestion for the allowance of a chaser plane to fly additional press photographers behind Air Force 2 was suggested as an alternative option. The WHNPA did not hear back until Axios reached out to the campaign for comment.
At that point, the Harris campaign did respond to the WHNPA’s concerns by stating that it did explore the option of adding back the seats on Air Force 2 as well as the alternative option of the chase plane but concluded that neither was viable due to the availability of resources, which includes personnel and aircraft.
“The current situation puts the still photographers at a distinct disadvantage on every trip,” photographer Doug Mills tells Axios.
“It’s very disappointing,” Koscielniak says, speaking to Axios. “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.”
Axios reports that the Harris campaign has been overwhelmed by a surge of interest in her campaign since she took over from President Joe Biden this past summer as first the presumptive democratic nominee and later as the official nominee. That said, the publication argues that the democratic leadership has been “ducking” tough interviews dating back to the Biden campaign. It also notes that Harris has not agreed to a solo nor unscripted interview with any outlet yet.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.