Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred from entering the White House on Saturday September 19, in accordance with the decision announced the day before by US President Donald Trump.
The three media outlets reported that their teams’ press credentials had been confiscated on Saturday morning when their reporters showed up at the White House and that they intended to challenge the ban on the grounds that it contravenes the First Amendment of the American Constitution guaranteeing freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
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In a statement, CNN called the ban an “illegal infringement” of its constitutional right to practice journalism without government interference. In separate statements, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Politico said they would “defend their First Amendment rights.”
CNN and MS NOW said they would continue to cover news of the Trump administration, and Politico said it supported its journalists covering the White House. To justify his decision, Donald Trump on Friday accused the three media of spreading false information, adding that other media would follow.
Asked by journalists in the Oval Office what he meant by “other” media, the US president cited the New York Times and the Washington Post as examples of “fake news”, without explicitly saying that he would deprive them of access to the White House.
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In a statement, the New York Times called Donald Trump’s latest decision “unconstitutional” and supported “media outlets unfairly targeted by the president.”
The association that represents journalists covering the American presidency asked Donald Trump on Saturday to reverse the ban on access to the White House targeting journalists from CNN and other media, deeming it unconstitutional.
“Today’s decision to revoke access to journalists from CNN, Politico and MSNOW violates the First Amendment” of the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of the press, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) said in a statement, urging the US president to “immediately” restore journalists’ access.
Donald Trump already banned the Associated Press agency last year from being among the journalists responsible for covering his travels (“pools”) because the press agency had refused to adopt the name Gulf of America instead of Gulf of Mexico, as requested by the president. The AP contested this decision.
Donald Trump has also repeatedly pressured television networks to end comedy or current affairs shows that he does not like or that have mocked or criticized him or his administration.
With AFP
