Only One Reporter Traveling With Tillerson on Asia Trip

The State Department reportedly allowed only one reporter — from a conservative media outlet — to fly with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Asia after initially telling journalists there wasn't any room for the press.

Erin McPike, a White House reporter for the Independent Journal Review, flew with Tillerson on his first Asia trip, triggering complaints from the press corps that normally covers foreign policy issues, the Washington Examiner reported.

The State Department rejected the idea McPike was acting as a pool correspondent, the Examiner reported.

"It was determined, and many of you . . . found out, that the one seat that was available, it was decided to take a journalist who was not ... from an outlet that doesn't normally travel with the secretary as part of an effort to include a broader representation of U.S. media," acting spokesman Mark Toner said, the Examiner reported.

"I would never want to imply in any way, shape or form that we don't respect and acknowledge . . . the level of expertise, the commitment of the individuals in this room," he added. "In this specific trip and instance, it was decided to make an outside the box, if I could put it that way, decision to bring somebody in who doesn't necessarily cover the State Department."

Reporters, however suggested the State Department was seeking "a friendly audience" to cover Tillerson's trip focused on resolving a potential crisis on the Korean peninsula, the Examiner reported.

"To choose an organization that is not part of the pool and is an obviously a conservative website, or whatever you want to call it — doesn't that narrow the message and not broaden it?" one reporter asked, the Examiner reported.

Toner replied: "I think it sends a message that we're willing to look at new paradigms with our approach to the media, again, while at the same time ensuring that traditional media has full access and nontraditional media."

"This is a little bit different way of doing it," he said, the Examiner reported. "I'm not saying this is going to be the norm going forward."

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