Journalists outraged by Tillerson's plan to travel without press

Journalists outraged by Tillerson's plan to travel without press
by Brian Stelter @brianstelter March 10, 2017: 3:29 PM ET


Veteran journalists who cover the State Department say they've never seen anything like it.

The new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has been all but silent in his first month on the job. And he is planning on traveling to Asia next week without the traditional coterie of traveling press with him.

Journalists are strenuously objecting to the plan. But there is no indication that Tillerson is going to reverse course. The State Department may allow one hand-picked journalist to tag along, but the details are unknown.

On Friday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed that Tillerson was looking to save money by taking a smaller plane without room for reporters.

However, news outlets normally pay for their reporters' seats, compensating the government for the expenses.

Past secretaries normally flew with the so-called press "pool" as a matter of course, but the Trump administration seemingly wants that to stop.

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"It's such a departure of the life of the State Department," he said. "The secretary of state is the most important voice, after the president, representing the United States."

Secretaries normally see interviews and press conferences as ways to articulate foreign policy to external audiences and address internal audiences at the same time.

"Kerry, Clinton, Rice, Powell, Albright -- all very formidable public figures -- gained influence inside the administration by taking advantage of their own bully pulpit," Coll said.

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http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/10/media/rex-tillerson-state-department-no-press/index.html