Like her boss Joe Biden, she prefers to avoid the media or unscripted situations. She hasn’t held a press conference since entering the race, and only one network sit-down interview. However, it was pre-taped, and she brought along Tim Walz, her emotional supporter governor.
She did show up and did a decent job at the debate on Tuesday. You’ll love it if you like fluffy poetic statements that don’t say much.
Even some lapdog journalists are now complaining that they have been shut out. Jessica Koscielniak is the president of the White House News Photographers Association. According to Axios, she wrote to the Harris team late in August claiming that they had overseen an “unprecedented decrease in access” for the news media.
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
Why it matters: This adds to the growing frustration of the press about the lack of access to the leaders at the top level in the Democratic Party.
This includes Harris who has not done a solo interview on TV and has avoided unscripted moments since she entered the race in July.
Koscielniak stated that “the four independent seats for news photographers have been reduced to one,” and added, “The WHNPA calls on the Harris Campaign to reconsider the number of media seats permitted on Air Force 2.” They are so restricted that they have suggested to the Harris campaign to add a “chaser aircraft” to follow Air Force 2 at events.
Doug Mills told the outlet, that Kamala’s hostility towards the media makes his job more difficult.
Doug Mills, an experienced White House news photographer, speaking in his capacity, told Axios: “The current situation puts still photographers at a distinct advantage on every trip.”
He said: “It is important to us that people understand the importance of having a photographer pool full. Each photographer views each event differently.
After reporters contacted them, Kamala’s camp finally replied to the letter on Wednesday. The WHNPA was told: Too bad for you.
Harris’s office wrote the association to say that they had explored adding additional seats on Air Force Two as well as a chase aircraft and “learned that both suggestions were not viable, given available resources including personnel and aircraft.”
Jessica Koscielniak, the president of the WHNPA, wrote to Harris’ top aides last month protesting that “the four independent news photographer seats have been downgraded to one.”
She proposed either adding a “chaser plane” for additional media or the WHCA reorganizing who gets a… pic.twitter.com/OZL99bKHwy
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) September 12, 2024
The WHNPA President was not happy with the response.
In response to the letter, Koscielniak said: “It is very disappointing.” This is the lowest number of journalists to travel during a presidential campaign in my memory. The WHCA should have negotiated that all 13 members of the travel pool would be on Harris’ plane when she became the presidential candidate.
Expect Kamala’s continued avoidance of the media and any real scrutiny. After all, her boss ran a successful presidential campaign from his basement. He’s given fewer interviews and held fewer press conferences since taking office than any other president in the past seven years.
Harris will continue to do what she is doing until she hears more from the corporate media. Sean Hannity is fond of pointing out that journalism in the United States has died.
