2 hrs ago
News Outlets Sue Trump Administration Over White House Access Ban
CNN, MS NOW and Politico are news organizations that report on the government.
The White House stopped some of their reporters from entering after President Donald Trump said he disliked their coverage.
The reporters said their special press badges were turned off or taken away.
The news organizations say the government should not punish them because it dislikes their reporting.
They filed a lawsuit to defend their First Amendment rights.
The First Amendment protects freedom of the press in the United States.
The White House television pool schedule also did not name CNN as the television pool network for Monday.
A federal court in Washington, D.C., may consider the case quickly.
The White House had not immediately responded to a request for comment in one account.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said they filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over denied White House access.
Reporters from all three organizations were blocked from entering the White House on Saturday after Trump criticized their reporting as “fake news.”
The journalists said their press badges were deactivated, confiscated or otherwise disabled at security checkpoints.
The outlets said the credential revocations occurred without notice or process and violated their First Amendment rights.
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, with emergency hearings potentially scheduled this week.
- Who
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico and the Trump administration; reporters Betsy Klein, Akayla Gardner and Cheyenne Haslett were specifically identified.
- What
- The three news organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the revocation or deactivation of their White House press credentials.
- Where
- The access restrictions occurred at the White House, and the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
- When
- The reporters were denied entry on Saturday, and the lawsuit was announced and filed on Monday.
- Why
- Trump said he was banning the outlets because of reporting he considered “fake news,” while the outlets said the action violated press freedom and their First Amendment rights.
News Organizations and Press Advocates
Trump and White House Position
Press access and constitutional rights
News Organizations and Press Advocates
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said the government revoked journalists’ credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting, threatening First Amendment protections and independent journalism.
Trump and White House Position
Trump said the outlets should be barred because he considered their coverage fake news and said other media organizations could face similar restrictions.
Reason for the restrictions
News Organizations and Press Advocates
The news organizations characterized the action as government interference with the press and said the government should not decide what journalists report or publish.
Trump and White House Position
Trump said the outlets were reporting what he described as fiction and lies about him, his administration and the United States.
White House television pool
News Organizations and Press Advocates
CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool network and said it would continue covering the government despite the restrictions.
Trump and White House Position
The White House’s Sunday night press schedule did not name a primary television network for Monday’s pool after CNN’s access was restricted.
Key facts
- Plaintiffs
- CNN, MS NOW and Politico
- Defendant
- The Trump administration
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Access date
- Saturday, when reporters from the three organizations were denied entry
- Reported journalists
- Betsy Klein, Akayla Gardner and Cheyenne Haslett
- Stated legal basis
- Protection of First Amendment rights and freedom of the press
- Potential next step
- Emergency hearings could occur as soon as this week
Quotes
CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO
News organizations jointly announcing their lawsuit against the Trump administration
“Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment. 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.”
freepressjournal.in
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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