White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced Monday that the daily press briefing will soon make room for “Skype seats” so that journalists not in close proximity to Washington are able to participate in the briefings.
“Beginning later this week, I’m excited to announce that we’re going to have four what we call ‘Skype seats,’ live here in the briefing room,” Spicer said during Monday’s briefing.
He said that the purpose was to “open up” the briefings to “a diverse group of journalists from around the country who may not have the convenience or funding to travel to Washington.”
Spicer did not say how the White House would select those journalists from outside D.C. nor how they would qualify.
He suggested in past public comments, however, that news outlets and bloggers outside of mainstream news operations would be given more access to the White House.
“I think this can benefit us all by giving a platform to voices that are not necessarily based here in the Beltway,” said Spicer.
