The White House

Covering the White House

If you are a credentialed reporter, meaning that you simply have some form of press ID for your outlet, you have access to the White House. Regional Reporters can cover events that are open to the press by calling the Office of Media Affairs (202-456-6238) and asking for a “DAY PASS.” When you call, give your full name, date of birth and social security number. The person on the phone will give you the location and time of the event, and let you know if you will need an escort.

Regional reporters or reporters working for specialty or trade publications that cater to a specific constituency should email media_affairs@who.eop.gov and ask to be added to a corresponding press list in order to be up-to-date on issues that pertain to them and their readers, to be informed when press events are happening and how to RSVP/get credentialed.

If you are a full-time White House reporter or will spend at least 3 days a week at the White House, you will need a “HARD PASS.” This is more difficult to get, as you must undergo an FBI background check. Call 202-456-2580 and a White House Press Office staffer will walk you through the process to obtain one. If you work for a national outlet, you should email press@who.eop.gov and ask to be added to the press list. This way, you will know when press events are happening and how to RSVP/get credentialed for events that take place here and across the country.

Journalists enter through the south entrance gate.

Location

Daily Media Briefings

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney holds daily press conferences in the briefing room when the President is in Washington. Regional reporters are welcome, but don't typically go to these briefings. If you do go, you will need to call ahead. There are 49 seats and the AP always gets the first question. You can get same-day transcripts of the briefings via e-mail. To get on the White House e-mail list call the Office of Media Affairs, (202) 456-6238, and ask to speak to your regional press secretary. You can also access the video archive of former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ and Jay Carney’s briefings at C-SPAN .

White House Areas Journalists Should Be Familiar With

Press Stakeout Location

After an official (i.e., a member of Congress, Senator, or foreign government leader) meets with the President, they will often go over to the stakeout to tell reporters what was said during meeting. Typically the stakeout is located outside the West Wing but due to occasional construction it may be elsewhere- just ask.

Pebble Beach: The Camera Venue

Pebble Beach is used by TV news outlets for stand-ups but was always muddy because grass could not be sustained due to all the foot traffic. In 1998, the White House installed honeycomb grating and gravel. President Bush installed permanent stone to hide wires and create a more permanent press locale. The TV cameras have designated spots for reporting throughout the day. TV correspondents spend the majority of their day inside the press briefing room. They are outside by the camera venue solely for stand-ups, live shots and interview purposes.

Press shots from above the White House are taken from buildings across Lafayette Park where tents are located.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was once a swimming pool. A 1933 newspaper campaign raised the money to build the swimming pool at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt, who suffered from polio and need the pool for exercise. The pool was built inside the West Terrace between the White House and the West Wing. Decades Later Richard Nixon arranged for the construction of a press briefing room above the pool to accommodate the growing demand for television news. The room was reconfigured with rows of fixed seating in 1981. The Press Briefing Room was renamed the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in 2000 in honor of the White House press secretary who was shot and seriously injured following an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. About 200 reporters cover the White House and there are 60 regular White House correspondents.

White House Cabinet Members

Vice President Joe Biden

Chief of Staff Bill Daley

Counselor to the President Pete Rouse

Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack

Secretary of Interior Kenneth Salazar

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke

Attorney General Eric Holder

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu

Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood

Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki

Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Shaun Donovan

Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson

Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice

U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk

Office of Management & Budget Director Jacob J. Lew

Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske

Office of Communications

Dan Pfeiffer, the current communications director, and deputy communications director Jen Psaki run the White House media operation. They oversee the director of speechwriting Jonathan Favreau and director of media affairs. As part of a reorganization effort within the White House Communications Department, the position of cabinet communications director was created in 2011. Former director of media affairs Tom Gavin was appointed to this role. The Office of Media Affairs is also gradually folding into the Press Office.

Regional Press Secretaries

For regional needs contact Adam Abrams and Joanna Rosholm, they will direct you to the appropriate White House staffer.

Adam Abrams: aabrams@who.eop.gov

Joanna Rosholm: jrosholm@who.eop.gov

All regional reporters must contact the Office of Media Affairs: 202-456-6238

White House Press Office

National Reporters: 202-456-2673

Regional/Constituency Reporters: 202-456-6238

Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary: jcarney@who.eop.gov

Jen Psaki, Deputy Communications Director: jpasaki jpsaki@who.eop.gov

Josh Earnest, Deputy Press Secretary: jearnest@who.eop.gov

Jamie Smith, Deputy Press Secretary: jsmith2@who.eop.gov

Tommy Vietor, Senior Director and National Security Staff Spokesman: tvietor@who.eop.gov

Matt Lehrich, Assistant Press Secretary: mlehrich@who.eop.gov

Amy Brundage, Assistant Press Secretary:abrundage@who.eop.gov

Clark Stevens, Assistant Press Secretary: cstevens@who.eop.gov

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney runs the Press Office. The Press Office will work only with the national media, i.e. The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today. That number is 202-456-2673.

Office of the Vice President, Vice President Joe Biden

Web: www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident

Press Office: 202-456-0373

Shailagh Murray, Communications Director: smurray@ovp.eop.gov

Elizabeth Alexander, Press Secretary: ealexander@ovp.eop.gov

Amy Dudley, Deputy Press Secretary: adudley@ovp.eop.gov

Office of the First Lady

First Lady Michelle Obama

Web: www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady

Press Office: 202-456-6313

Kristina Schake, Special Assistant to the President and Communications Director for the First Lady: kristina.schake@eop.whitehouse.gov

Katie McCormick-Lelyveld, Press Secretary: Katie_ML@who.eop.gov

Semonti Mustaphi, Deputy Press Secretary: semonti_m.mustaphi@who.eop.gov

Office of Dr. Jill Biden

Web: www.whitehouse.gov/administration/jill_biden/

Courtney O'Donnell, Communications Director: 202-456-2803, codonnell@ovp.eop.gov

White House Secret Service

Media information: 202-406-5708

Other White House Offices and Advisory Organizations

The White House Council on Women and Girls , cwg@who.eop.gov

Office of Presidential Personnel, 202-456-9713

Office of Scheduling and Advance, 202-456-5325

Office of Cabinet Liaison, 202-456-2572

Office of the Usher, 202-456-2650

Office of the Staff Secretary, 202-456-1414

Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs, 202-456-1414

Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, 202-395-6850

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 202-606-8503

Presidential Commission on White House Fellowships, 202-395-4522

Presidential Commission on the Arts and the Humanities, 202-682-5409

Presidential Commission on the National Medal of Science, 703-292-8040

The White House embodies the executive branch of government and is made up of various offices that deal in everything from trade to volunteerism, and from economic policy to national security. Below are the numbers of important offices. You can also find links to individual office web pages at www.whitehouse.gov:

Office of Management and the Budget (OMB), 202-395-7254

Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), 202-395-3230

National Security Council (NSC), 202-456-9271

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 703-482-7677

National Economic Council (NEC), 202-456-1337

Domestic Policy Council (DPC), 202-456-5594

Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, 202-456-1414

Office of National AIDS Policy, 202-456-7320

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) 202-395-6618

Office of Homeland Security 202-282-8010

Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), 202-395-7347

Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), 202-395-5012

Office of Administration (OA), 202-456-2861

Every regional reporter should have the contact at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Web: www.whitehouse.gov/ceq

Christine Glunz, Communications Director to CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley; 202-456-3469, cglunz@ceq.eop.gov

Does this agency's information need updating? programs@nationalpress.org