The White House Correspondents Association voted Wednesday to remove OANN, a California-based cable news channel, from White House briefings after larger news organizations like CNN complained that OANN was being just a little too pro-Trump.
And, very conveniently, the WHCA found OANN had violated a coronavirus-related “policy” to boot them over, saying that the outlet wasn't complying with "social distancing" guidelines.
"As you are all aware, the WHCA issued a policy last month to restrict seating in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to comply with CDC guidelines on social distancing," the WHCA board wrote in a statement, per Fox News. "Under this policy, we have asked reporters who don't have a seat not to attend press briefings."
"We are writing to inform you that the WHCA Board has voted this evening to remove a news outlet from the rotation for a seat in the briefing room. We did this because a report for this outlet twice attended press briefings in contravention of this policy.”
“We do not take this action lightly. This is a matter of public safety," the WHCA added.
Fox News reports that the move came after OANN reporter Chanel Rion was seen asking questions while standing at the back of the room during Wednesday's evening press briefing, adding that she was there after having been invited as a special guest by While House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
The WHCA’s decision comes after OANN reporters were blasted by other liberal “news” outlets, who otherwise make a habit of decrying attacks on a free press, for asking questions like why the media were aligning themselves with communist Chinese propaganda. CNN’s Brian Stelter mocked OANN as a “tiny cable news channel” that asks “shameful” questions, while Vox’s Aaron Rupar has disrespectfully referred to Rion as “the OAN person.”