Trump bans three media outlets, five major networks suspend shared video coverage

CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in U.S. federal court on Monday, September 21, following their exclusion from the White House. In response, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC suspended their shared video coverage of presidential events.

The three media outlets are asking a federal court in Washington to urgently suspend the measure and restore access for their journalists. Their lawsuit cites the First Amendment, which protects press freedom, as well as the right to due process guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.

Donald Trump announced on Friday, September 18, that he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing the White House, accusing them of spreading what he calls “fake news.” The following day, journalists from the three outlets were denied entry to the presidential complex, and their credentials were deactivated or confiscated.

The dispute has extended beyond the targeted newsrooms. The five networks that take turns providing the television pool have decided to cease, until further notice, the shared coverage of presidential events. This system typically allows a network present on-site to film the president and then share the footage with other pool members and, more broadly, with numerous media outlets.

The White House defended its decision on Monday in a statement titled “White House Access Is a Privilege, Not a Right.” The administration claims that the First Amendment protects the right to publish but does not guarantee a permanent badge, a seat in the press room, or access to the pool. It accuses the three media outlets of years of coverage that it deems false and hostile.

The plaintiffs argue that their credentials were revoked due to the content of their journalistic work. They are asking the judge to prohibit the enforcement of the measure while the case is under review. The lawsuit targets Donald Trump and several officials from his administration in their official capacities.

The conflict arises as the U.S. president participates in the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a time when the television pool typically plays a central role in the rapid dissemination of images of his meetings and statements.

A hearing on the emergency suspension request is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, before federal judge Timothy Kelly. This judge, appointed by Donald Trump, had previously ordered in 2018 the temporary restoration of CNN journalist Jim Acosta’s credentials in a prior conflict with the White House.