“The White House pool has a duty to document, report and witness the president’s events and his movements on behalf of the American people,” association president Kelly O’Donnell said in a statement provided to members Thursday afternoon.
“The pool is there for the ‘what ifs?’ in a world where the unexpected does happen. A pool reporter is present to provide context and insight by direct observation and not through the lens of the television production.”
The association, which represents journalists who cover the White House and counts many Washington Post reporters as members, nodded to the unique structure of the debate; CNN operators will turn on and off each candidate’s microphone depending on whether it is their turn to speak, meaning that some comments may not be heard in an intelligible way by the television audience at home.
“A pool reporter is there to observe what is said and done when microphones are off or when either candidate is not seen on camera but may speak, gesture, move, or engage in some way,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell, a senior White House correspondent for NBC News, said the association has been lobbying for the inclusion of a pool reporter for weeks, and gained the support of the Biden administration and the tacit approval of the Trump campaign. Such a journalist has been present for previous presidential debates, which were hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
In a statement, a CNN spokesperson reiterated that the debate will be held in a network studio and is therefore “closed to press.”
While no reporter will be allowed to observe the debate from inside the studio, one print reporter will be allowed to enter the studio during a commercial break. There will also be a pool of photographers inside the studio during the debate.
While the event will be produced and broadcast by CNN, the network is providing a feed that will be aired by other television networks. Those networks, however, are required to air CNN’s graphic logo during their broadcast. Networks are also barred from bringing on analysts to provide commentary during one of the debate’s two commercial breaks.
If a network were to break the rule on commercial break commentary, CNN could cut their feed.
