| A temporary restraining order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia addresses the White House’s revocation of press credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. |
| By Dubem Akukwe The Poke Press A federal judge ordered the White House to restore press access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico Thursday after President Donald Trump’s ban on the organizations’ media access to the white house prompted five major television networks to suspend their shared White House press pool coverage. The White House press pool is a rotating group of journalists who cover presidential events when space is limited and share their reporting, video, and audio with other news organizations. ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News take turns providing coverage through the pool. The dispute began Friday when Trump announced on Truth Social that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, effective immediately. In the post, Trump accused the outlets of publishing “FICTION and Lies” about him, his administration, and the U.S.. He also warned, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” During an appearance in the Oval Office later Friday, Trump said the decision was based on the outlets’ coverage over the previous two years. “They’re smart people, but they purposely write negative news.” Trump said. “And they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” Trump also said he believed news organizations should be allowed to publish negative news, however, he was not required to grant them access to the White House. His decision was enforced Saturday when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the White House after their press credentials were deactivated or confiscated. Jacqui Heinrich, White House Correspondents’ Association President and Fox News correspondent, called for their access to be restored in a statement Saturday. “The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future,” Heinrich said. “The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably.” On Monday, CNN was set to provide television coverage of Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly as part of their scheduled assignment in the pool, but was prevented by the White House. Rather than replacing the network, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News and NBC News joined it in suspending their shared television coverage of presidential events. Their absence also meant that no broadcaster was covering Trump’s midday unveiling of a new White House helicopter landing pad. Despite the White House providing video of the event, Trump’s remarks could barely be heard over the sound of a helicopter’s engine without professional audio set up. The five networks issued a joint statement explaining their decision. “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,” the statement read. “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” In solidarity with the decision, The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and Agence France-Presse (AFP) delayed publishing photographs of that day’s presidential events until midnight, Eastern Time. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday alleging that the ban violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and the press, as well as their Fifth Amendment right to due process. The legal challenge continued Wednesday when U.S District Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments on the outlets’ request to have their press credentials restored while the lawsuit continues. Justice Department attorney, Michael Velchik, defended the administration’s decision, arguing that, “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right.” He also said the president should be able to take immediate action when national security concerns arise. Theodore J Boutrous Jr., an attorney representing the three outlets, disputed the administration’s national security justification and argued that the reporters had not received notice or an opportunity to respond before losing their credentials. On Thursday, Kelly granted the three organizations’ request for a temporary restraining order directing the Trump administration to restore their White House press credentials while the lawsuit continues. The order requires the administration to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the reporters’ White House press credentials and will remain in effect for 14 days, unless the court orders otherwise. In his ruling statement, Kelly wrote that the government’s arguments, “offer no declarations or other support—classified or unclassified—explaining how any of the reporting they identified in their letters to Plaintiffs damaged the national security.” The order temporarily restores access to the news outlets but does not resolve the underlying lawsuit. The court will continue considering the case while the order remains in effect. |
