The White House has defended President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from its premises as major U.S. television networks suspended pooled coverage of the president.
The administration said Monday that White House access is a privilege and not a constitutional right, arguing that the First Amendment protects the media’s right to publish but does not guarantee press credentials or access to presidential events.
The White House said Trump removed the three outlets “after years of false reporting” and accused them of producing what it described as “fake news.”
Trump has also defended the move, saying the White House was not attacking the free press but was fighting what he called “FAKE NEWS.”
The dispute escalated after CNN was scheduled to provide television pool coverage of Trump’s events in New York on Monday but was prevented from carrying out the assignment.
ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC subsequently joined CNN in suspending the rotating TV pool that provides shared video coverage of the president.
“This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties,” Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton said in a message to pool members.
The five networks said, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the administration of violating their First Amendment rights and due process.
The legal dispute is the latest confrontation between Trump and major news organisations over access and coverage of his administration.
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