Major TV networks suspend White House pool coverage after Trump ban

Major US television networks have suspended White House pool coverage after the Trump administration barred reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from entering the White House.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN make up the television pool, which rotates among the networks and provides a shared camera feed of presidential events.

Fox News DC bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who chairs the pool, informed members on Monday that no replacement pool would be established after CNN was prevented from carrying out its assigned duties.

The decision means television crews will not provide the usual pooled coverage of President Donald Trump’s events. No television crew is scheduled to accompany Trump when he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The White House will continue providing its own video feed, but broadcasters typically rely on the independent pool for coverage of presidential events.

The move follows the Trump administration’s decision to revoke access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Reporters from the three outlets were denied entry to the White House over the weekend, with the Secret Service deactivating or confiscating their press credentials.

The three news organizations filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to restore their access. They argue that the administration violated the First Amendment and constitutional due-process protections by restricting journalists because of their reporting.

The outlets said the restrictions threaten press freedom and could affect other news organizations if the government is allowed to deny access based on unfavorable coverage.

Trump has defended the decision, saying the White House is not targeting the free press but is restricting what he calls “fake news.”

Vice President JD Vance similarly argued that the administration was not banning the outlets from operating but was withholding what he described as special access to the White House.

The dispute is now before the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The case was assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee.

The lawsuit cites previous court battles over White House press access, including cases involving CNN reporter Jim Acosta and other journalists. Federal courts have previously held that journalists generally cannot be excluded from White House access because of the content of their reporting, although access is subject to certain limitations.

'Alarming deterioration': US press freedom in freefall under Trump

RSF warns of "alarming deterioration" of press freedom under US President Donald Trump.

The three outlets have pledged to continue covering the Trump administration despite the restrictions. CNN said its mission to report on the US government would continue regardless of attempts to limit journalists’ physical access to the White House and other government facilities.

A new report recently found that  Democratic standards in the United States have deteriorated to their lowest point in half a century, with the Trump administration’s “threats and actions” increasingly eroding the rule of law both domestically and internationally.

Last year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that press freedom in the United States had suffered an "alarming deterioration" under Donald Trump’s administration.

The Paris-based watchdog warned of an "authoritarian shift" in US governance, citing Trump’s "daily attacks" on journalists, politicization of institutions, and deliberate defunding of media. 

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