One of Rhode Island’s own, and formerly one of the Beacon’s own, was one of the first reporters to participate in a White House press briefing via “Skype seats.”

WPRI 12’s Kim Kalunian was one of four reporters (others were Natalie Herbick of Fox 8 in Cleveland, Lars Larson of “The Lars Larson Show” and Jeff Jobe of Jobe Publishing in Kentucky) invited by the White House to pose a question to Press Secretary Sean Spicer at a press briefing Wednesday.

Kalunian based her question on Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s reference to Rhode Island’s capital city as a “sanctuary city.” President Donald Trump’s executive order said the White House would publish a weekly list of these cities and pledged to withdraw federal grant money from them, she stated in her question before going on to ask how soon the public could see the list and when those cities could expect its federal funds to be cut.

Spicer responded that “the President has been very clear through his executive order that federal funds, paid for by hard-working taxpayers, should not be used to help fund sanctuary cities,” adding that further updates on the list would be made available “as we continue to implement this executive order and fulfill the pledge that he made.”

The briefing isn’t the first time Kalunian and Spicer, a Barrington native, have interacted. She conducted WPRI’s exclusive interview with him soon after he was chosen by Trump to be press secretary. At that time, they discussed his new role, working behind the scenes with Trump, and the president’s election night performance in Rhode Island.

Kalunian has been asked many times if her question was pre-approved by the White House, which she said was not the case. The team at WPRI helped her come up with potential topics, she wrote questions and consulted with her colleagues again to discuss which one she should ask first, she explained.

After the briefing, Kalunian saw that being on Skype had some advantages – those in the briefing room have to pay closer attention so they can be sure to properly hear the question. However, she said she had wanted to ask a follow-up question, which would have been easier if she was physically in the room rather than on a screen. After Spicer finished answering her question, he thanked her and quickly moved on.

That said, Kalunian is happy that the White House is opening up the briefing room to reporters beyond the nation’s capital.

“It’s a great thing that people outside the White House press corps can ask questions,” she said, adding that she hopes the White House will remain true to its promise of bringing in a diverse group of local reporters so they can get answers on topics vital to their communities.

In addition to her journalistic experience, Kalunian has a background in performing. In between reporting for the Beacon and News Talk 630 & 99.7 FM WPRO, she performed in productions at the Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts in Massachusetts, the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theater in Virginia, theaters across Rhode Island, and more. She’s sticking to journalism for now, though, and is happy to have gotten her start in the field at the Beacon.