Trump, NC Rep. Virginia Foxx, and restrictions on journalists
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Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
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It’s been a busy week with President Donald Trump in Gastonia declaring our state full of “blood-soaked killing fields.”
Then on Friday, Trump announced a ban for MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Let me first say, there’s a difference between fake news and news you don’t like.
I keep a few journalism quotes at my fingertips that I think apply to this situation.
The first comes from 1818 and states: “Whatever a patron desires to get published is advertising; whatever he wants to keep out of the paper is news.”
The second is from former New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent: “A very bad (and all too common) way to misread a newspaper: To see whatever supports your point of view as fact, and anything that contradicts your point of view as bias.”
And reaching a bit is this quote from Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”
In other words, just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not news.
Which brings me back to North Carolina, and over to Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk.
One of my social media accounts went a little wild after I reposted reporting from The Washington Sun’s (formerly NOTUS) Paul Kane that Foxx wants to ban reporters from the Speaker’s Lobby in the U.S. Capitol.
Kane asked Foxx, chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee, if there were any rule proposals that didn’t go into effect, but she thought the speaker should enact.
“Well, you might not like this one, but one that had a lot of support was to not allow the press in the Speaker’s Lobby,” she said. “People are very irritated about the press being right off the floor.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper had thoughts.
“I’m sure it’s irritating to be asked questions about what they’re doing in their taxpayer-funded jobs that directly affect the American people,” Tapper wrote on social media.
To be clear, while the North Carolina House and Senate allows reporters on the actual floor of those chambers, we’re not allowed on either in the U.S. Capitol. This proposal would ban reporters from a lobby off the U.S. House floor.
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Not to get too inside baseball, but this is where many reporters gather to find members of the House to ask questions. It’s also the place reporters can go to pass notes to members of the House to request an interview.
Now, a change like this wouldn’t make or break House reporting. The House chamber is surrounded by four hallways. Each have entrances to the chamber.
Most House members follow a pattern for which entrance they use. We learn those patterns so we can figure out where to go to get the lawmaker we need.
The Speaker’s Lobby is not where I go to find Foxx, though it is where I go to find North Carolina’s Democratic members of the House (to the Democratic members reading this, I do know you use another door, too).
And lawmakers would still need to leave the lobby to get to a staircase or an elevator to get back to their offices. It would just cause a traffic jam at the door to the lobby.
And for those of you who say, “Danielle, can’t you just ask their office for an interview?” Many lawmakers will tell you they don’t have time for a formal sit-down interview and to catch them between votes or committee hearings (looking at you, senators!)
How do we do that? Well, since returning to Raleigh, my daily step count is way down, and I’ve only had to replace one pair of shoes, instead of my four per year at the very least.
My final point: I take my job really seriously. When I worked on the Hill, at the forefront of everything I did was that I was doing it for you, working for you, asking questions for you, and being your eyes and ears. That’s why I’m so defensive about press access.
Wait! Before you go … spot something you think could be misinformation in the 2026 campaigns? Let us know. We may look into it.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast.
If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
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This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline “Trump, NC Rep. Virginia Foxx, and restrictions on journalists.”
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