Several media organizations have sharply criticized their exclusion from an informal briefing with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
The White House on February 24 barred several major news organizations from attending the informal off-camera press briefing, known as a "gaggle."
Reporters for CNN, The New York Times, the BBC, and other media outlets were excluded from the briefing held in White House spokesman Sean Spicer's office.
The New York Times said the move was "an unmistakable insult to democratic ideals," while the BBC has asked the White House to clarify its exclusion.
Journalists at the AP and Time magazine walked out of the briefing when hearing that others had been barred from the session.
The bar came after President Donald Trump delivered another attack on the media, saying in a speech that "fake news" was the "enemy of the people," amid reports claiming his campaign aides had contact with Russian intelligence officials.
Spicer did not say why those news organizations were excluded, but warned the White House was going to "aggressively push back" at "false narratives" in the news.