The major American television networks agreed on Monday, the 21st, to suspend a rotating pool of journalists covering the president of the United States, Donald Trump, after the White House removed CNN, the MS NOW, and Politico from coverage.
“As of today [Monday], the TV pool will not cover events designated as coverage of the president,” wrote Bryan Boughton, head of the Washington bureau of Fox News, in an email to pool members. “This follows the White House’s position to prevent CNN from performing its designated functions.”
In a statement, other pool members – including ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC – said that “the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate and independent information about the government” and that “no administration should restrict a news organization because it opposes its coverage.”
This Monday, Trump showcased his new White House helipad, attempting to downplay a First Amendment controversy, even as major television networks kept their cameras away in protest.
Last week, the Republican removed CNN, the MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds after alleging “years of fake reporting.” “Access changes are not new. What is new, however, is the sudden claim that it becomes sacred only when outlets are friendly to the Radical Left. The rule has never been ‘all outlets in’. It has always been ‘our side stays in’,” the White House said in a statement.
The three news outlets said they are suing the Trump administration over the ban. In a joint statement this morning, they explained that they had filed suit to “protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
*With information from the Associated Press and Dow Jones Newswires.
