Xi’s arrival gets low-key coverage amid White House media ban

PHILADELPHIA - It was a strange, subdued start to the much anticipated state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States.

In times less ordinary, the arrival of President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on an overcast evening of Sept 23 would have been playing live across TV screens in the US, with excited commentary on the weather, the clothes worn by the leaders and their spouses, how they smiled, how long the handshake lasted.

Not the least, because the reception Xi was accorded was itself unusual; US presidents typically meet foreign leaders at the White House, not at the airport as soon as they touch down. But President Donald Trump broke protocol to personally welcome Xi at the Joint Base Andrews, a military airfield close to Washington DC. 

Most Americans saw none of that.

Major US TV networks have suspended the live filming and telecasting of presidential events since Sept 21 in protest against the Trump administration’s decision to deny White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico. 

Instead, Cat Zakrzewski, the White House Correspondent of the Washington Post, sent out a spare, one-line dispatch to mark the start of the visit. 

“A plane carrying Xi landed at 5:39 PM. It said ‘Air China; and taxied beyond the jets parked on the tarmac,” she dutifully reported.

In dispatches to follow, Zakrzewski noted the US Air Force band playing fanfare and US and Chinese national anthems and the flyovers by two B1 bombers as Trump and Xi stood next to each other at the end of the red carpet, flanked by American and Chinese flags.

“People accompanying Xi on the plane exited from the back door,” said the note distributed to newsrooms across the US. 

At the end of the ceremony, Trump waited while Xi entered a black car. Then, Trump boarded the helicopter that ferried him back to the White House while Xi proceeded to his hotel in a motorcade, the print dispatch recorded.

Presenters on CNN and Fox made short mention of Xi’s arrival, without video, but mostly carried on with discussions on other topics, politics, crime, weather.

The New York Times, USA Today and other newspapers reported the news alongside still photographs. The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal had not reported Xi’s arrival, even 45 minutes later.

“Staff from Fox, CBS and NBC are here but not shooting, as journalists wait to see whether the judge will issue a ruling after hearing arguments today,” noted Zakrzewski.

Surprisingly, the ceremony was not telecast in a livestream on the White House website. The Trump administration has touted the jump in the popularity of its app, claiming that “Americans prefer the source over the spin”. The official White House mobile app reached No. 1 in the News category on the App Store and climbed into the Top 20 among all apps, said a White House press statement a few hours before Xi arrived.

Whether the rest of the trip will get live TV coverage remains uncertain as of now.

The matter is pending before a court in Washington, D.C. US District Judge Timothy Kelly said on Sept 23 that he intends to rule “soon” on whether to grant temporary relief restoring CNN, MS NOW, and Politico’s White House access.

The outlets argued in a case filed on Sept 21 that the administration punished them for unfavourable coverage which harms constitutional freedoms granted to the press.

They also said that their credentials were revoked without notice, explanation or a meaningful chance to contest the decision in a violation of due process.

The US Justice Department insists that White House access is a privilege rather than a constitutional entitlement and has urged the judge to reject emergency relief. 

The government also said that the ban has been imposed on national security grounds, claiming that the outlets had “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”