Psaki signals she’s open to reviving ‘Skype seats’ amid pandemic

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday indicated she’s open to taking questions from reporters via video as the coronavirus pandemic limits how many journalists can attend briefings at the building in person.

“We’d certainly be open to taking questions via Skype,” Psaki said during a White House press briefing. “I took some questions on Twitter the other day, we’re going to try to take some questions from the American people that they ask on YouTube. So, we’ll continue to look for ways to not just bring back the daily briefing, but to take questions from more reporters and people.”

Psaki noted that the briefing room typically holds roughly 60 journalists for briefings, but that number has been drastically reduced due to the pandemic based on the recommendations of health officials.

The White House Correspondents Association reached agreements with the Trump administration and now the Biden administration to block off seats in the briefing room to allow for social distancing. About 15 reporters attend each briefing currently, with outlets rotating in and out each day.

The limited capacity has prompted discussion about ways to incorporate more reporters and news outlets into the briefings in the meantime. Former press secretary Sean Spicer initially implemented “Skype seats” in 2017 to take questions from reporters who are based outside of the Washington, D.C., area.

The concept was short-lived and was not carried on by Spicer’s successors.