US television networks curb live coverage of Trump after White House bars CNN, MSNBC and Politico
ABC, CBS, NBC and even Fox News curtailed live feeds after CNN, MSNBC and Politico were excluded and filed an emergency lawsuit.
Major U.S. television networks have begun curtailing live coverage of President Donald Trump after the White House revoked access for CNN, MSNBC and Politico, and the three outlets filed an emergency lawsuit challenging the move.
Networks say they will not simply replace barred outlets
Broadcast giants ABC, CBS and NBC — and notably Fox News, which is generally seen as sympathetic to the president — announced a temporary decision not to carry full live feeds of the president’s on-camera appearances in a show of solidarity with the excluded organizations. Network statements argued no administration should strip media credentials for disagreeing with coverage.
CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins said the practical effect is immediate. "If the president takes any action today, there will be no television camera to transmit those images and share them with the public," she said.
The networks are part of the rotating White House pool that normally follows the president on official trips and at public events. In an email circulated to pool members it was indicated that CNN would not be replaced on the pool for Monday’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly.
Meanwhile CNN, MSNBC and Politico sued the administration, filing an emergency request with the court. In a joint statement the outlets said: "Without prior notice or procedure, the White House pulled the accreditations of our journalists because it had objections to our reporting." The emergency nature of the filing means judges could take up the case this week.
President Trump wrote on his platform that the White House was not attacking press freedom and argued the outlets represented a danger. "It is conducting an attack on the fake news that has spread like a cancer in our beloved United States," he wrote. The episode marks a marked escalation of long-running efforts by Trump to limit coverage from critical media; last year he barred the Associated Press from some events after the agency refused to adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo: press material from the event
