{
  "id": 101,
  "slug": "2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office",
  "title": "White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters",
  "occurred_on": "2025-10-31",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "US",
  "country": "US",
  "continent": "north-america",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "access_ban",
  "leader_slug": "donald-trump",
  "issue_of_the_day": "The White House said it acted after concluding that reporters had secretly recorded video and audio inside West Wing press offices and entered restricted areas, though it did not identify the reporters or recordings involved.",
  "outcome": "sustained",
  "outcome_on": null,
  "outcome_note": "The restricted access to Upper Press remained in effect; the WHCA's objection did not lead to a reversal in the source reviewed.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "The White House began requiring reporters to make appointments before entering the 'Upper Press' area of the West Wing, home to the press secretary's and senior press aides' offices, citing a need to protect sensitive material after accusing reporters of secretly recording conversations there.{c:389}{c:390}{c:391}",
  "what_happened": "On October 31, 2025, the White House announced that the 'Upper Press' section of the West Wing, which houses the offices of the press secretary and senior press aides, would require reporters to have a prior appointment before entering, while the 'Lower Press' office next to the briefing room remained open. A White House memorandum said the change would ensure adherence to best practices for access to sensitive material. Communications Director Steven Cheung said reporters had surreptitiously recorded video and audio in West Wing offices, entered restricted areas and listened in on private meetings. White House Correspondents' Association president Weijia Jiang said the new restrictions would hinder the press corps' ability to question officials and hold the government accountable.{c:389}{c:390}{c:391}",
  "stated_justification": "The White House said the policy would \"ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material,\" and Communications Director Steven Cheung said reporters had recorded video and audio without permission and entered restricted areas.{c:389}{c:390}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Reporters lost the informal, walk-in access to senior press aides' offices that had allowed them to ask quick follow-up questions and observe the press operation at close range, a practice long used to gather information outside formal briefings.{c:391}",
  "unknowns": "The White House did not publicly identify which reporters it said had recorded conversations without permission or when the recordings occurred.",
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:17Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 8,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:12:04Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:08:24Z",
  "stage": "restrict",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "United States",
  "tactics": [
    "access_ban"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "donald-trump",
    "name": "Donald Trump",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:15:17Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 1,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": "The White House did not publicly identify which reporters it said had recorded conversations without permission or when the recordings occurred."
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "donald-trump",
      "name": "Donald Trump",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/donald-trump"
    },
    {
      "slug": "karoline-leavitt",
      "name": "Karoline Leavitt",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "enforced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/karoline-leavitt"
    },
    {
      "slug": "steven-cheung",
      "name": "Steven Cheung",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "announced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/steven-cheung"
    },
    {
      "slug": "white-house-press-office",
      "name": "White House Press Office",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "enforced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/white-house-press-office"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
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  "cite_as": "White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}