White House reporters covering President Obama’s trip in India on Monday had their ballpoint pens confiscated by the security officials of the Indian government, according to a pool report by the Wall Street Journal’s Colleen Nelson.
Obama arrived in India on Sunday as part of a trip to boost diplomatic relations with the U.S. He attended a parade Monday.
“Your pooler was not permitted to bring most electronic devices to the parade and has had no cell service during the festivities,” read a dispatch from the event by Nelson. “(Ballpoint pens were also confiscated by security upon arrival) So, several factors forced the delay of today’s on-site pool report.”
Pool reports are write-ups of public events by individual reporters selected to represent the regular White House press corps. The pool reports are sent out to an extensive list of media professionals, many of them other reporters who use the write-ups to craft stories for their own publications.
The U.S. news media has a history of contentious relations over access with the Indian government. Politico previously reported that journalists covering the parade were told in advance they would not be allowed to have electronics, wireless Internet or even bathroom breaks.
In November, White House reporters traveling with Vice President Joe Biden to Morocco were told by the country’s government security that they were not allowed to take notes on a meeting between Moroccan King Mohammed VI and Biden.
“We appreciate that different nations have different customs, but journalists shouldn’t be hamstrung in performing their duties, even if the setting is a brief photo op,” said White House Correspondents Association President Christi Parsons at the time.
She did not return a request from the Examiner regarding the pens confiscated in India.
