Emma Tucker defends White House dinner with News Corp. execs

Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker defended attending the White House dinner with News Corp. executives earlier this month. "Look, I'm a journalist. I was not going to say no to a dinner with the president of the United States," she told Axios on stage at its annual Media Trends Live event in New York City Tuesday.Why it matters: The dinner raised eyebrows not only because the Journal is locked in a legal battle with President Trump, but also because of the Trump administration's unprecedented pressure on the press, particularly for outlets whose owners have ties to the president.Zoom in: Tucker said the dinner was "interesting" and that it's good Trump wanted to engage with the Journal. "He's clearly reading us and cares about what we do."Tucker declined to offer further details on the dinner.She noted the Trump administration engages on different levels. "You can be doing one thing at one level and having a conversation at a different level. So the more conversations, the better."Zoom out: The Trump administration has been locked in legal fights in recent weeks over press access and pool coverage.Dozens of news outlets, including Axios and WSJ parent Dow Jones, have…

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