US outlets boycott Trump pool coverage over media ban
Major US TV networks suspended shared coverage of Donald Trump after CNN, Politico and MS NOW were barred from the White House.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Major US TV networks suspended shared pool coverage of President Trump.
- CNN, Politico and MS NOW were barred from the White House over reporting disputes.
- Banned outlets filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a federal court.
- The White House launched its own 24/7 streaming channel, Trump TV.
Major US television networks suspended their pooled coverage of President Donald Trump on Monday in direct protest against the White House's decision to ban CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the premises. The move escalates an ongoing friction between the administration and leading journalistic institutions.
President Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the organizations of producing fiction and lies concerning his administration. By Saturday, reporters from the three affected outlets were officially denied access to the building. In response, the organizations announced their intention to sue the administration to defend the principle that the government should not dictate press reporting.
The boycott immediately disrupted standard broadcasting operations. There was no network television footage available of Trump boarding Air Force One or arriving in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Additionally, prominent outlets including the New York Times and the Washington Post stated they would withhold sharing still images from the president's events.
Pooled media coverage is a foundational cost-saving arrangement used by broadcasters to share footage of presidential events efficiently. When major competitors unite to boycott such a system, it highlights an extraordinary level of solidarity and tension between the press corps and the executive branch, signaling a deep institutional crisis.
Concurrently, the administration launched its proprietary streaming channel, Trump TV, broadcasting 24/7 clips of the president. Meanwhile, Trump participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Marine One helipad on the White House South Lawn, streamed online without audible remarks.
Bryan Boughton, Washington bureau chief for Fox News and a rotating coordinator for White House TV crews, confirmed in an email that the TV pool would halt designated pool coverage of the president effective immediately.
"Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting."
Joint statement from the banned outlets
The three barred organizations formally filed their lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington on Monday, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle over press credentials and First Amendment protections.
Source: BBC World
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