In a new White House press access rule, reporters will no longer be able to walk into the Press Secretary’s office without an appointment. The change, announced Friday in a memo from the National Security Council (NSC), requires all journalists to schedule meetings in advance to enter Room 140 — the “Upper Press” area adjacent to the Oval Office.
According to a memo sent by the National Security Council (NSC) to Steven Cheung, Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director, and Karoline Leavitt, Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary, every member of the press must now make an appointment to enter Room 140 in the West Wing — also known as “Upper Press.”
The memo cites national security as the reason for the new restriction.
“This memorandum directs the prohibition of press passholders from accessing Room 140 in the West Wing, also known as ‘Upper Press,’ which is situated adjacent to the Oval Office, without an appointment. This policy will ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material,” the memo states.
It further explains:
“As a result of recent structural changes to the National Security Council, the White House is now responsible for directing all communications, including on all national security matters. In this capacity, members of the White House Communications Staff are routinely engaging with sensitive material.
In order to protect such material, and maintain coordination between National Security Council Staff and White House Communications Staff, members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval in the form of an appointment with an authorized White House Staff Member.”
The memo adds that members of the press may continue to freely engage with White House press aides in the Lower Press Area, located outside the Briefing Room. However, any visit to Upper Press now requires an appointment.
The memo does not explicitly state that the policy is a reaction to a security breach, nor does it cite a specific incident triggering the change. It simply cites “recent structural changes” and increased involvement of staff in handling sensitive material.
This decision comes just weeks after a controversy at the Pentagon, where at least 30 news organizations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy that would have required journalists to acknowledge they could be labeled security risks or lose credentials for soliciting classified or certain unclassified information.
Until now, “Upper Press” had been open to credentialed reporters with permanent White House hard passes — all cleared through the Secret Service. The new policy marks a clear tightening of access.
The new by-appointment-only rule is expected to curb spontaneous exchanges between journalists and senior communications officials, potentially slowing down the press corps’ ability to respond to fast-moving developments inside the West Wing.
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