Major US television networks suspended pooled coverage of President Donald Trump on Monday after CNN, Politico and MS NOW were barred from the White House.
The disruption followed an announcement by Trump on Friday that the three organisations would be banned. He accused them of publishing what he described as “fiction or lies” about his administration. The outlets said their reporters were denied access to the White House on Saturday.
Pool coverage allows media organisations to share images and video from presidential events, reducing the number of crews required in restricted spaces while providing material for a wider audience. Several news organisations said they would not take part in pool arrangements following the ban.
Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who holds a rotating role helping to organise television crews covering the White House, said in an email seen by the BBC that the television pool would no longer cover events designated for pool coverage. The message cited the White House preventing CNN from carrying out its pool responsibilities during Trump’s trip to New York and said no replacement pool would be arranged.
Coverage affected during New York trip
The decision meant there was no network television footage of Trump boarding Air Force One or arriving in New York for the UN General Assembly. The New York Times and Washington Post were among outlets that said they would not share still photographs from Trump events on Monday.
Trump also attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Marine One helipad on the White House South Lawn. The White House streamed the event online, but his remarks could not be heard in the feed.
He later appeared on television after meeting New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani told Trump that all media organisations would be welcome at the subsequent press conference. Trump said he had not been especially concerned by the planned boycott, noting the size of the press presence.
Outlets file legal action
CNN, Politico and MS NOW filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday in the US District Court in Washington. In a joint statement, the organisations said the White House had withdrawn their journalists’ credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting.
The outlets said the case was intended to defend the principle that the government should not decide what the press reports. They argued that allowing the action to stand would threaten press freedom and the public’s access to independent journalism without government interference.
Shortly after the ban was announced, the White House launched Trump TV, a 24-hour streaming channel carrying clips of the president.
Source: BBC News
