WHCA lost pool control in February; AP barred over ‘Gulf of Mexico’ dispute
CNN’s slot in the White House press pool for live television was left vacant on Monday for President Donald Trump’s trip to the UN General Assembly in New York, after the White House barred the network along with Politico and MS NOW from its grounds. The staunchly conservative outlet Real America’s Voice was listed as a “secondary” crew on the trip instead, according to BBC News.
The First Amendment forbids the government from “abridging” the freedom of the press — language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage. The White House has made several changes to press access arrangements since February, when it took direct control of the pool that covers the president.
President Donald Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the three outlets of writing “fiction or lies” about his government. When reporters attempted to enter the White House on Saturday, they were denied entry and had their badges seized, the three companies said. The White House revoked the journalists’ credentials “without notice or process” because it objected to their reporting, according to a joint statement from CNN, Politico and MS NOW on Monday.
Announcing the ban, Trump did not name specific stories or reporting that prompted the move, but later said “it’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years.” He added that there “may be others to join them.” When later asked by a reporter what he meant, Trump responded: “Others to come in terms of fake news? Well, you know, the New York Times is fake news, the Washington Post is fake news.”
In a joint statement on Monday, the three outlets said they were pursuing legal action to “protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.” “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the statement added.
The pool acts as a representative for the media, sharing material with other outlets to save on finance and space when covering presidential events. CNN — one of only five US news outlets in the pool for live television — had been slated to cover Trump’s trip to the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday and Tuesday.
In February, the White House announced it was taking control of the press pool, which had for more than a century been managed by the White House Correspondents’ Association. The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press reporters and photographers from spaces where access is limited, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, citing the outlet’s use of the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.” The AP filed a lawsuit and the case remains ongoing.
Trump has been frequently critical of news organizations, and his administration has launched legal action against a series of outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC. Some of those lawsuits have resulted in media organizations agreeing to pay multimillion-dollar settlements. Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC is ongoing.
BBC News has asked the White House for comment on the latest ban.