News photographers slam Harris for reduced access

Driving the news: Jessica Koscielniak, president of the WHNPA, wrote to Harris' top aides last month protesting that "the four independent news photographer seats have been downgraded to one."

• Koscielniak added: "The WHNPA strongly calls on the Harris campaign to reconsider the number of media seats allowed on Air Force 2."
• The WHNPA wrote that the group heard the number of seats had to be reduced for security reasons and proposed either adding a "chaser plane" for additional media or the White House Correspondent Association (WHCA) reorganizing who gets a seat.

Zoom in: In an email, Koscielniak said that the WHNPA "did not receive a response and the situation has not improved."

• The letter was addressed to Harris' top communications aides and the head of the WHCA.
• The WHCA pushed the Harris team for weeks for more seats on the plane or a chase plane, a person familiar with the matter said.

Doug Mills, a veteran White House news photographer speaking in his personal capacity, told Axios that "the current situation puts the still photographers at a distinct disadvantage on every trip."

• He added: "It's essential to us for people to understand the importance of having a full photographer pool. Every photographer sees each event differently. "

The intrigue: The vice president's office responded to the WHNPA late Wednesday after Axios reached out for comment, according to a copy of the email.

• Harris' office wrote to the association that they explored adding more seats on Air Force Two and a chase plane and "learned both suggestions are not viable given available resources, including personnel and aircraft."
• Asked why representatives did not respond to the WHNPA until after Axios reached out, the Vice President's office said they had "been in constant communication with the Chair of the White House Correspondents' Association as the Office worked to explore solutions to increase press access."
• "It's very disappointing," Koscielniak told Axios in responding to the letter. "This is the smallest number of media to travel for a presidential race in my memory. When Vice President Harris became the presidential nominee, it should have been negotiated by the WHCA that the full 13 member travel pool be on her plane."

Reality check: The Harris team is trying to navigate an abrupt surge in media interest since Biden dropped out in July.

• Air Force Two is smaller than Air Force One and it's the first time since 2000 that a sitting vice president is running for president.

Out of office, former President Trump does not have a traveling pool of reporters with him like Harris does.

• Still, he has engaged more with reporters than Harris, including two recent press conferences.

Zoom out: The tensions between the photographers and the Harris team are part of a larger pattern with the Democratic Party.

• Last month, the group that represents Capitol Hill journalists said ahead of the Democratic National Convention it was "concerned that the decision to reduce dedicated and accessible workspace by hundreds compared to prior conventions will hinder journalists' ability to cover the historic nature of this convention."
• As of July, President Biden had given fewer interviews and press conferences than any of the past seven presidents.

What to watch: Harris' press staff is a combination of Biden campaign officials and her own team.

• Should she win in November, whether she selects new faces to lead her press relations and communications could determine how accessible she will be compared to Biden.
• So far, her approach to the press resembles Biden's strategy of ducking tough interviews.