CNN, Politico, and MS NOW have announced plans to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration after being excluded from the White House. The ban was imposed on Friday by President Donald Trump, who accused the three news organizations of publishing “fiction or lies” regarding his government.
According to a joint statement released on Monday, reporters from the outlets were denied entry to the building on Saturday, and their press credentials were confiscated. The companies stated that the revocation of their journalists’ badges occurred without notice or due process and was a direct response to unfavorable coverage.
“This threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the statement read, emphasizing their commitment to protecting First Amendment rights. Legal precedents generally interpret the First Amendment’s protection of a free press as preventing the government from discriminating against media organizations based on the content of their reporting.
President Trump did not specify particular articles that triggered the ban, later characterizing the decision as a reaction to “cumulative stories over the last few years.” When pressed by reporters about potential future bans, he suggested that other outlets, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, also qualify as “fake news” and could face similar restrictions.
The exclusion has disrupted the White House press pool, which rotates among major media outlets to cover presidential activities. CNN, typically one of five US news organizations in the live television pool, was originally scheduled to cover Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. However, the slot remained vacant, and Real America’s Voice, a conservative outlet, was listed as the secondary crew instead.
This incident follows a broader pattern of friction between the Trump administration and the press. In February, the White House assumed control of the press pool, ending decades of management by the White House Correspondents’ Association. That same month, the administration barred Associated Press reporters from restricted areas like the Oval Office and Air Force One over the agency’s use of the term “Gulf of Mexico” rather than “Gulf of America.” The AP lawsuit regarding that ban is still pending.
The Trump presidency has been marked by frequent criticism of news organizations and multiple legal actions against outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the BBC. While some suits have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements, the administration’s case against the BBC remains ongoing.
Legal scholars say content-based discrimination is almost never permissible. This lawsuit should be straightforward, but I’m curious about the immediate injunction timeline.
I’ve noticed Real America’s Voice filling those empty slots recently. Isn’t this just punishing independent journalism while rewarding loyalist media?
Wait, so the White House now decides which outlets get access based on whether they like the coverage? That’s not how democracy works.
This is a blatant attack on the First Amendment. If they can ban CNN, who is next? The precedent here is terrifying.