The White House through April Ryan's eyes

Tom Weber interviews April Ryan for the Broadcast Journalism Series.
Tom Weber interviews April Ryan for the Broadcast Journalism Series at the University of St. Thomas. Ryan has been a White House correspondent for 20 years and has released a book, "The Presidency in Black and White."
Eamon Coyne | MPR News
White House correspondent April Ryan speaks with MPR news host Tom Weber.
White House correspondent April Ryan speaks with MPR news host Tom Weber.
Eamon Coyne | MPR News

April Ryan is the only black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House — a position she has held since the Clinton era.

She's the Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks and a regular political analyst on CNN. She's the author of "The Presidency in Black and White" and "At Mama's Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White."

Ryan spoke about her experience reporting on an administration that assumes she has an agenda.

"I'm a journalist who has been doing the same thing 20 years, the same exact thing. For some strange reason, I am now the elephant in the room," Ryan said to host Tom Weber.

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One of Ryan's concerns with the Trump administration is their aversion to any kind of questioning or push back.

"You're at the utmost patriotic when you say, 'I love my country but something is not right,'" she said, referencing the recent protests by NFL players.

When President Trump called players who knelt during the national anthem a "son of a bitch" she was taken aback. She felt the sanctity of the office was tarnished.

"Words send people to war. Words change markets," she said.

But even after all this, Ryan still wants to do her job and still wants to sit down with the President for an interview.

"I really want to interview him," she said.

To hear more from Ryan, use the audio player above.