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With cameras banned from White House press briefing, CNN sends sketch artist

This is quite a scene.

Photo of Josh Katzowitz

Josh Katzowitz

CNN sketch artist White House press briefing

With more and more of the White House press briefings restricting the use of TV cameras, CNN had a unique idea for how to cover Sean Spicer’s media availability on Friday.

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The news network sent a sketch artist to record the day’s event. And it very literally looks like a work of art.

CNN sketch artist White House press briefing
Photo via Bill Hennessy/CNN

That’s the work of Bill Hennessy, who normally sketches Supreme Court hearings for the network. But on Friday, with no on-camera availability for the White House reporters, CNN sent Hennessy to the White House, where he stood in the back of the briefing room and sketched away.

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As the network notes, Spicer and Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders have held only four on-camera briefings in June.

“Some days we’ll do it” on camera, Spicer said Friday. “I think it’s great for us to come out here and have a substantive discussion about policies. I don’t think that the be all and end all is whether it’s on television or not.”

Not everybody thought CNN’s idea was clever, though.

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Still, even with the sketch artist, Friday’s briefing was a victory for Spicer. At least the Tom Brady sketch artist wasn’t in attendance.

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The Daily Dot