Macron boots French media from presidential press room

The French presidency announced Wednesday that it is kicking reporters out of the Elysee Palace and down the street in a move that symbolises Emmanuel Macron's desire to keep the media at arm's length. Reporters have had a press room inside the Elysee for the past four decades from which to cover press conferences, foreign leaders' visits and other events.
AFP and other news agencies have permanent desks there, notably allowing them to see who is arriving for meetings with the president thanks to the press room's location overlooking the main courtyard. But Macron's communications advisor Sibeth Ndiaye told reporters the presidency had decided to move the press room into an annexe down the street "in order to make it bigger".
The move will take place by the summer, she said. Asked if Macron was trying to "get the press out of the way", Ndiaye said that was "not the president's intention". Macron had made no secret of his desire to see journalists booted from the main Elysee building when he was elected in May, but the idea was put on the backburner after it prompted an uproar from the media.