Major U.S. television networks have suspended coverage of President Donald Trump's activities after the White House barred reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from entering. Meanwhile, the three media outlets have filed lawsuits against the government, stating that revoking White House access threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent news.
Major U.S. television networks have halted coverage of President Donald Trump's activities to protest the White House's ban on reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from entering the White House grounds.
Trump announced this measure on 18 Sep, accusing the three outlets of spreading "fabrications or lies" about his administration. Subsequently, on Saturday, the three media organizations reported their reporters were denied White House access and had their press passes revoked.
CNN, Politico, and MS NOW announced they would take legal action against the Trump administration, arguing the government should not decide what the media reports. The three organizations filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., requesting the court to suspend the ban and restore their reporters' White House access.
A joint statement from the three media outlets said the White House revoked their reporters' passes without prior notice or due process, merely because it was displeased with the coverage. They warned that if this order is not challenged, it threatens press freedom and the public's right to access independent news free from government interference.
Following the incident, several networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News announced they would suspend participation in "pool" reporting—sharing video and audio from presidential events. Brian Bolton, head of Fox News's Washington bureau and rotating coordinator of the White House TV reporting team, emailed that from that date forward, the TV teams would not cover president's events designated as pool reporting and no replacement teams would be assigned.
This decision resulted in no televised footage from the networks of Trump boarding Air Force One or arriving in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Additionally, Trump participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Marine One helicopter landing pad on the White House South Lawn. The White House streamed video of the ceremony on its website, but Trump's remarks were muted.
Later, Trump appeared on television following a meeting with New York City Mayor Sohrab Mamdani, who told the president that reporters from all news organizations would be allowed to attend the press conference.
Trump described the suspension of coverage as interesting, noting that the media said they would boycott him but never actually did, so he was not worried. He pointed to the group of reporters and said, "Look, there are plenty of journalists here."
Pool reporting is a system where multiple news organizations share video and audio from presidential events to reduce costs and manage limited space for broadcast equipment. The designated network records and distributes the feed for others to use.
This suspension of coverage occurred after the White House blocked CNN from acting as the pool reporter during Trump's trip to New York, leading to no replacement team covering the president's activities.
At the same time, the White House launched its own streaming channel called Trump TV, broadcasting clips of Trump around the clock, reportedly focusing on presenting the president's activities and achievements directly from the White House.
These media actions come amid disputes over White House access rights and press freedom. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico claim the ban violates constitutional press freedoms, while the Trump administration asserts that White House access is a privilege, not an automatic right for journalists.
The case has been filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., and will examine allegations that the government violated press freedoms and constitutional due process rights.
.SourceBBC/Associated Press