E-Paper
Why did CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue the Trump administration? White House ban explained
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said they were suspending their participation in television “pool” coverage of Trump.
Prefer HTon Google
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration on Monday after the White House barred their journalists from its grounds.
The three news organizations say the move violates their First Amendment rights and limits the public's access to independent reporting from the White House.
Why did Trump ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico?
President Donald Trump announced the ban Friday in a post on Truth Social, saying the three outlets would be barred from the White House “effective immediately.”
Deep Dive
Trump accused the organizations of publishing what he called “fake news,” “fiction” and “lies” about him and his administration. He also suggested that other media outlets could face similar restrictions.
"Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow," he wrote.
Trump later defended the decision during an Oval Office event.
“I don’t get fair press. I get it from Breitbart. I get it from a little bit from Fox,” Trump told reporters. “But what I do ask is just a semblance of truth.”
When a reporter pointed to the president’s constitutional oath and the First Amendment’s protection of free speech, Trump said he was tired of seeing what he considers “fake news."
He added, “I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day. I think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they’re going to write false stories all the time.”
On Saturday, reporters from the three organizations were denied entry to the White House. CNN’s Betsy Klein, MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner and Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett were among those affected. Their press credentials were disabled or confiscated.
What CNN, MS NOW and Politico initially said about the ban
MS NOW said in their statement, "The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars. MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy."
CNN said it “stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting”.
“We have a right under the US constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right,” a CNN spokesperson said.
Politico said its reporters would “continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones."
“We will vigorously defend our first amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them,” it added.
Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, also defended the reporters.
“This is about more than the rights of journalists,” Henrich wrote in a statement. “It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump administration
The three news organizations filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that their journalists’ credentials were revoked without notice or due process. They are seeking to restore their access to the White House.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the outlets said in a joint statement on Monday.
The complaint was filed in federal court in Washington, DC.
Multiple TV networks suspend Trump pool coverage
Also on Monday, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said they were suspending their participation in television “pool” coverage of Trump.
Under the pool system, networks share responsibility for filming the president at certain events and distribute the footage to other broadcasters.
“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” the statement said.
JD Vance defends ban
Vice President JD Vance defended the administration’s decision Monday, arguing that the affected outlets could still report on Trump and speak with administration officials even without special access to the White House.
“What the president has said is, we’re not going to give you special access inside the White House,” Vance said.
Vance also accused the three outlets of what he described as “propaganda” and argued that their coverage of Trump was overwhelmingly negative.
“We have to remember those three outlets account about 92 percent of the stories that they have on the President of the United States on the administration are negative,” he said. “That’s not representative of the American people. It’s not representative of public opinion. So if you’re going to engage in what is effectively far left propaganda. Why would a Republican White House give you special access?”
