In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters - ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC - said on Monday that they were halting "pool" coverage of the White House in solidarity with CNN, which had been scheduled to serve as the White House TV pool that day. The decision was made in response to Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, which was announced on Friday. The ban was implemented after Trump reportedly objected to the outlets' reporting.
The lawsuit filed by CNN and MS NOW seeks to overturn the ban and rule that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to free speech. The organizations said in a court filing that the ban is a direct assault on the First Amendment and a blatant violation of fundamental constitutional principles. The move means there will be no television coverage of Trump's trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he was due to meet a series of foreign leaders.
Trump was unrepentant about the ban, branding the media a "cancer" and a threat to national security. He said on his Truth Social network that the White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, but rather on "FAKE NEWS" that has grown like cancer in the US. Vice President JD Vance, a former CNN commentator, accused the outlets of disseminating "left-wing propaganda." He claimed that the outlets can still report and have access to free speech, but will no longer have an office in the White House.
Journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated. The outlets said that the White House revoked their journalists' credentials "without notice or process" because it objected to their reporting. The ban has sparked concerns about press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference.
Trump has not detailed what prompted the ban, but said in response to a question from an AFP reporter in the Oval Office on Friday that it was "really just cumulative stories over the last two years." He added that the outlets want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration. Trump warned on Friday that other outlets could face a similar fate, without specifying which ones.
The ban has been widely criticized, with the five TV networks saying in a statement that the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. They emphasized that no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting. The move is seen as a significant escalation in the long-standing feud between Trump and the media.
The implications of the ban and the subsequent halt in coverage are still unclear, but it is evident that the relationship between the Trump administration and the media has reached a new low. The issue is likely to continue to unfold in the coming days, with many experts warning about the potential consequences for press freedom and the public's right to know.
Key points
- The five US TV networks that halted coverage of President Donald Trump are ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC.
- The ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House was implemented after Trump reportedly objected to their reporting.
- The lawsuit filed by CNN and MS NOW seeks to overturn the ban and rule that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
