Five US networks halt joint coverage of Trump’s events after White House media access row
Five major US television networks have stopped their joint coverage of President Donald Trump’s events after CNN, MSNBC and Politico journalists were blocked from entering the White House, in protest against restrictions on the media.
The coordinated move took place on Monday, Sept. 30. Under a shared system involving Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, the networks take turns covering the president’s events and travels and provide footage to other media outlets.
But after CNN journalists were barred from White House events, the other four networks said they would not replace the network. As a result, the usual arrangement for joint television coverage of Trump’s events was suspended.
Fox News reported that the confrontation began on Friday, when Trump announced that CNN, MSNBC and Politico would be denied entry to the White House. He accused the outlets of publishing “fake news” and cited their coverage of his administration as the reason for the decision.
According to the report, journalists from the three outlets were stopped on Saturday as they tried to enter the White House grounds, and their credentials were confiscated. The following day, when it was CNN’s turn in the joint television rotation, the other networks refused to step in, in solidarity with the outlet.
In a joint statement released by Fox News, the five networks said: “The public has a vital interest in having accurate and independent information about their government. No administration should penalize a news organization because it disagrees with its coverage.”
Bryan Boughton, Fox News Washington bureau chief, also said: “Effective immediately, the White House television pool will not cover the president’s designated events.” He added that “no replacement pool” would be formed for CNN.
At the same time, CNN, MSNBC and Politico said they would sue the Trump administration. The three outlets said canceling their reporters’ credentials and blocking access to the president’s events, without prior notice and due process, violated their rights under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Trump responded on social media, writing that the White House was not attacking press freedom but rather fighting what he described as “fake news.” He also accused the banned outlets of publishing “corrupt, deliberate and coordinated” reports and claimed the situation was “a threat to national security.”
The decision meant Trump’s trip to New York for the UN General Assembly also went ahead without independent television coverage from the five main networks. In response, the White House continued to broadcast the president’s remarks on its own channels and this morning announced the launch of a new channel called “Trump TV.” The White House is the main seat of the US presidency, and media access to its events is considered part of the normal system of public oversight of government performance.
