The Nixon White House denied Thomas Forsyth a press pass in 1971.
Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Checked
- Sources
- 5 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 15%
The Briefing with Jen PsakiSep 24, 2026
None of the provided sources mention Thomas Forsyth or any 1971 White House press-pass denial to him; the only support is the claimant's own passage, which cannot corroborate the claim. Sources on Nixon's hostility to the press (e.g., the Washington Post exclusion) are about different referents and do not confirm or refute this specific denial.
What was said
… There he is on the cover of that magazine in 1993. But back in the early 1970s, Thomas Forsyth decided to apply for a White House press pass. He wanted to be a part of the press corps that covered the president of the United States, and in 1971, the Nixon White House denied Thomas Forsyth his press pass that he really wanted. The Secret Service barred him from the White House, citing certain information that came up in his security check. Now, at the time, the Secret Service told The New York Times, "It was thought best to deny him admission to the White House. …
The Briefing with Jen Psaki · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Context. The claim faithfully paraphrases the post, which says the Nixon White House denied Thomas Forsyth a press pass in 1971, so it does not add to the passage.
Context. Source 7 documents Nixon excluding the Washington Post from White House areas and social events, but it does not mention Forsyth or a press-pass denial to him.[4]
Context. Source 6 and Source 5 cover Nixon-era press relations and tapes generally, with no reference to Forsyth or his credentials.[3][5]
Context. The Pentagon Papers and Presidential trivia sources do not address Forsyth's press credentials or any Secret Service security-check denial.[1][2]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 not rated
- 1Newly released memos show DOJ weighed prosecuting newspapers in Pentagon Papers casereuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2From Alleged Affairs to Pet Alligators: 50 Pieces of Presidential Triviasnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Nixon's Telephone Tapes: 1971 - Presidential Recordingsprde.upress.virginia.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 4The Complicated History Between the Press and the Presidencysmithsonianmag.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 5Nixon Tapes on Press relations: 632 conversationseasynixon.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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