Three major US news organisations have taken President Donald Trump’s administration to federal court, escalating a dispute over whether the White House can exclude journalists because of reporting the president objects to.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said on Monday, September 21, that they had filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking to restore their journalists’ White House access. The organisations argue that the ban violates their rights under the First Amendment.
The legal action comes three days after Trump announced that the three organisations were being banned from the White House, accusing them of publishing what he called “fake news.”
From Trump’s announcement to federal court
Trump announced the restriction on Friday, September 18, through his Truth Social account.
He accused the three organisations of repeatedly reporting what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about his presidency, administration and the United States. He did not identify specific reports that prompted the decision.
The restrictions moved beyond the president’s social-media announcement the following day.
On Saturday, journalists working for CNN, MS NOW and Politico attempted to enter the White House but were denied access. Their credentials were also confiscated or disabled, according to reports from the organisations and the Associated Press.
News organisations challenge the reason for ban
In their joint statement on Monday, the three organisations said they were taking legal action to defend their First Amendment rights and the principle that the government should not determine what journalists report or publish.
They said their journalists’ credentials had been revoked “without notice or process” because the White House objected to their reporting.
The lawsuit alleges violations of both the First Amendment’s press protections and Fifth Amendment due-process rights.
The news organisations are seeking emergency relief, with hearings in Washington potentially taking place as soon as this week.
The White House had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment following the announcement of the lawsuit.
Trump defends decision
Trump has defended his decision while maintaining that he supports press freedom.
Speaking to reporters after announcing the ban, he said he wanted a “fair and honest press” and argued that he was not obligated to provide White House access to organisations whose coverage he considered inaccurate.
The affected organisations reject Trump’s characterisation of their journalism.
The dispute therefore puts two competing arguments before the court: the administration’s authority to regulate access to the White House and the organisations’ claim that access cannot constitutionally be withdrawn in retaliation for the content or viewpoint of their reporting.
CNN removed from press-pool assignment
The restrictions have also affected the system used by journalists to cover presidential activities.
Reuters reported that CNN was removed from its scheduled Monday assignment as the television pool representative accompanying Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The White House press pool allows a smaller group of journalists to cover the president in circumstances where accommodating the full press corps is impractical, with those journalists sharing their reporting with other news organisations.
Not CNN’s first White House access battle
The case also recalls an earlier legal confrontation between CNN and Trump’s White House.
During Trump’s first term in 2018, the administration revoked the White House credential of then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta following a contentious press conference.
CNN sued. A federal judge temporarily restored Acosta’s access after finding due-process problems with the way his credential had been revoked. The White House later permanently restored the credential, after which CNN dropped the case.
The circumstances and legal arguments in the current case are not identical, so the earlier dispute does not by itself determine how the new lawsuit will be resolved.
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