Did Biden really purge hundreds of journalists? The viral claim taking over X exposed

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

After President Donald Trump’s recent decision to ban journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, online claims have emerged alleging that then-President Joe Biden stripped hundreds of reporters of White House credentials in 2023. However, these internet posts distort the real impact that a revised White House Press Office policy had on media members maintaining long-term passes for the complex.

Here is a closer examination of the established facts.

Online claims alleging that the Biden administration mass-revoked White House press credentials are false. The overall drop in pass holders in 2023 followed the administration's update to its credentialing rules, which required all journalists with long-term passes to reapply under new criteria.

White House press credentials are split into two categories. Hard passes are granted to reporters who routinely cover the White House and remain valid for an extended period, requiring Secret Service background checks and approval from the press secretary, according to the White House Correspondents’ Association. Journalists without a hard pass must request temporary access daily or on an event-by-event basis.

In May 2023, the White House Press Office under the Biden administration emailed credentialed journalists about plans to "revise the policy on press hard passes to be consistent with that of prior administrations." The communication said existing hard passes would expire on July 31, after which holders could submit renewal applications valid for one year.

To obtain approval under the updated system, applicants were required to meet specific benchmarks: full-time employment with a news organization, a physical address in the greater Washington, D.C. area, documented entry to the White House complex for work at least once in the preceding six months, an assignment to regularly cover the White House, credentialing by a press gallery in the House of Representatives, Senate, or Supreme Court, and consent to Secret Service background checks.

In August 2023, Politico reported that the total number of hard pass holders fell from 1,417 to 975 after the policy took effect—a net decline of 442 passes across both renewals and new applications.

A spokesperson told Politico that the standards were designed to ensure passes were held by reporters actively covering the beat, noting that "at the time we initiated this process in early May, roughly 40% of hard pass holders had not accessed the White House complex in the prior 90 days." According to the spokesperson, only one applicant was formally denied a hard pass under the revised criteria, though the individual’s name was not released.

Jen Psaki, who served as the White House press secretary from 2021 to 2022, rejected online narratives about the change in a TikTok video posted Tuesday, calling the claims "total B.S." and a "completely fabricated talking point." Psaki pointed out that media outlets frequently critical of Biden, such as Fox News, Breitbart, Newsmax, and One America News Network, were all issued hard passes under the updated rules. She added in the video that "there were a lot of people with hard passes out there that had not used it in several years."

Nevertheless, the 2023 administrative update has been widely misrepresented on social media.

"WHERE WAS THE OUTRAGE THEN? Biden’s White House purged 442 reporters under new press credential rules and the media shrugged," reads one widely circulated post on X. "Now Trump cuts off CNN and suddenly it is a constitutional crisis."

The social media posts follow a decision by Trump on Saturday to deny White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico over coverage he categorized as "fake news." The three news outlets jointly filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday, arguing that the selective exclusion constitutes a "blatant violation" of the First Amendment. Trump stated on social media that he "cherished" a free press, but not "FAKE NEWS."

In a press release issued Monday, Trump’s White House referenced the 2023 rules alongside media measures under the Obama and Biden administrations to argue that "access changes are nothing new." However, media scholars note significant distinctions between the actions.

"There is no fair comparison between President Trump deciding to try to ban journalists whose stories he doesn’t like, and President Biden establishing a system that ensured fair access for journalists, even ones who wrote stories he didn’t like," said Peter Loge, an associate professor of media and public affairs at The George Washington University. "If the President always likes everything a reporter writes, that reporter isn’t doing their job. If someone doesn’t like to be criticized by the press, they shouldn’t run for president."