STORY
Major American television networks have suspended their participation in the White House television press pool after the Trump administration barred reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News said they would no longer provide shared filming of presidential events in protest at the restrictions.
The dispute began when the White House deactivated press credentials belonging to journalists from the three organisations without prior notice. President Donald Trump accused the outlets of producing “fake news”, but the organisations argue that excluding journalists because the administration dislikes their reporting amounts to viewpoint discrimination and represents a serious threat to press freedom.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed legal action alleging that the bans breach protections contained in the First and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The case raises wider concerns that a Government could determine which organisations are permitted to report from the centre of power according to whether their coverage is favourable, while the decision by rival networks to act collectively demonstrates growing unease about the precedent being established.