Dear President-elect Trump,

We, a group of diverse journalism associations representing thousands of journalists from the nation's
capital to every corner of the country, begin this letter on a hopeful note. Your administration is a
blank slate and we are eager to work with you to perpetuate one of this nation's great strengths: our
freedom of the press.
As the new leader of the free world, we expect that you will preserve longstanding traditions that
ensure coverage of the Trump presidency. The idea of a press pool that covers all of the president's
movements is one that dates back to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. Every president
of both parties has treated this important tradition with respect. The role of the press pool is critically
important to our country, whose citizens depend on and deserve to know what the president is doing.
This isn't about access for the press itself, it's about access for Americans in diverse communities
across the country. Your constituents receive information from a variety of platforms to learn about
what our president is doing.
Being president is an enormous responsibility and working with the White House Correspondents
Association to ensure journalists' access is one small but important part of that. We call on you to
commit to a protective press pool from now until the final day of your presidency. We respectfully ask
you to instill a spirit of openness and transparency in your administration in many ways but first and
foremost via the press pool.
We also call for access to you via regular press conferences and pool sprays and to your key
decision-makers. You have an opportunity as incoming president to set the tone for your staff
speaking on the record for the sake of transparency. We also hope your administration will improve
response rates to FOIA requests as a way to show the American people, and the world, that the
republic belongs to the people.

A great America depends on having sunlight on its leaders. We expect the traditions of White House
press coverage to be upheld whether in Washington or elsewhere. Again we, a joint group of diverse
journalism associations, speak as one as we respectfully ask that you take these steps to ensure
access to our members covering your administration.

Thomas Burr
President
The National Press Club

Sarah Glover
President
National Association of Black Journalists

Barbara Cochran
President
National Press Club Journalism Institute

Brandon Benavides
President, Board of Directors
National Association of Hispanic
Journalists

Lynn Walsh
President
Society of Professional Journalists
Mizell Stewart III
President
American Society of News Editors
Mike Cavender
Executive Director
Radio Television Digital News
Association and Foundation
Delphine Halgand
US Director
Reporters Without Borders/RSF
Courtney Radsch
Advocacy Director
Committee to Protect Journalists
Sandy K. Johnson
President
National Press Foundation

Bryan Pollard
President
Native American Journalists Association
Paul Cheung
President
Asian American Journalists Association
Jen Christensen
President
National Association of LGBTQ
Journalists
Elisa Lees Munoz
Executive director
The International Women's Media
Foundation
Allison Sherry
President
Regional Reporters Association