Who Credentials the "Credentialers"?

The recent ruling in favor of President Trump’s decision to restrict the Associated Press from the White House has reignited a long-standing debate about who controls access to information in America. Karoline Leavitt, in a recent discussion on the ruling, highlighted a key issue: for decades, the legacy press has determined which journalists receive credentials to report from the White House. This, in effect, has allowed a handful of media organizations to shape the flow of information to the public. While the Associated Press has framed Trump’s restrictions as an attack on the free press, the reality is that the press itself has been the primary force limiting journalistic access.
This case is just one example of a much broader issue that extends far beyond journalism. It raises an important question: Who credentials the credentialers? In nearly every field—science, higher education, history, and scholarship—a select group of gatekeepers controls who is recognized as legitimate. These credentialing bodies, whether formal or informal, wield immense influence over what is considered “acceptable” knowledge, often reinforcing ideological conformity rather than fostering open inquiry.

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