There could never be a right of a specific reporter to enter the WH or anywhere else.
Of course not. For the sake of order and security passes are given. IMO, part of the new rules should state that press passes expire every 90 days. If your pass is not renewed, then you’re out. End of story. No reason need be given; but a reason enough is that there are lots of media requests and not enough space to fulfill them. Let other media have a chance.
I’d argue another point as well though it may not be entirely relevant except to say that CNN is not really that much more important than any other outlet. CNN is part of a cable monopoly. They argue their self-importance because of their wide distribution but their access to homes is assured because CNN is owned by Time Warner, a company that Congress has given exclusive territorial monopolies to broadcast. There are no other cable options in any particular region. TW subsidized CNN, gives them a premium channel location, charges competitors fees to access the cable broadcast and has the ability to squash any upstarts or competitors by denying them a broadcast channel. They crow about their “rights” but have a structure that denies a swath of competitors from enjoying the same fruits of that right due to the monopoly granted by Congress and the economic forces inside TW itself. Take that away and they are no more important than any others.
In fact, most other countries have national broadcast services that reach more eyeballs every day than CNN does. Yet CNN has 50 passes. How many does the BBC get? NPR?