Tuesday, June 2, 2009

RECALL: Riyadh caves in to pressure ... Press guidance 'recalled'

Politico, here
—11:29 a.m. ET yesterday, State Department e-mail to White House reporters leaving today for Riyadh: “U.S. Embassy Guidance for Journalists — Dear Members of the White House Press Corps, The Saudi government is permitting journalists accompanying President Obama entry into the country without a visa or the usual customs procedures. While in Saudi Arabia, therefore, journalists are expressly prohibited from leaving the hotel or engaging in any journalistic activities outside of coverage of the POTUS visit. Those who do so risk arrest and detention by Saudi authorities.” 

— 3:50 a.m. ET today, State Department e-mail to White House reporters leaving today for Riyadh: “Correction: U.S. Embassy Guidance for Journalists — The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Saudi Arabia would like to recall the inaccurate guidance issued to the White House press corps on June 1.”

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