Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich Went to the Front of Air Force One to Press Trump on Press Access After the Ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico
Jacqui Heinrich did what a White House Correspondents’ Association president is supposed to do. She spoke up. According to the White House pool note, Heinrich, a Fox News correspondent traveling as the TV correspondent, went to the front of the plane for a lengthy off-record conversation with President Trump. Her purpose, per the note: advocating for press access after the ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico. Read that again. She works for Fox News.
The outlets that were banned are CNN, MSNBC and Politico. She was not defending her own network. She was defending the principle. Think about that. It would have been easy to stay in her seat. Easy to take the access she had and say nothing. Easy to let competitors take the hit. Instead, she walked to the front of the plane and made the case directly to the President of the United States.
The details of the conversation are off the record, so we don’t know what was said or whether it will change anything. But we know she raised it. A free press only works when reporters stand up for each other, even across network lines. The pool note was shared by Kellie Meyer. Thank you, Jacqui Heinrich, for standing up for the press.
