US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is banning major US media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from accessing the White House.
In a post on Truth Social, he accused them of spreading fake news:
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW… and Politico… from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
Although Trump did not explain what exactly prompted the move, he said the media outlets were reporting “fiction and lies.”
“Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America.”
He also indicated that other media outlets may also be ejected from the White House.
“Other fake news media outlets to follow,” the US president posted, without mentioning any names. He also did not clarify what specific reporting he objected to.
A ban would prevent affected reporters from attending press conferences or events at the Oval Office.
CNN, the world’s first 24-hour all-news television network, called Trump’s media ban an “illegal assault” on the freedom of the press.
Politico, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Axel Springer, headquartered in Berlin and New York, vowed to “vigorously defend” rights after Trump ban threat.
MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), a liberal cable news channel, has not yet responded to the ban.
Meanwhile, Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said that banning the media outlets would be “flatly unconstitutional.”
“The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting,” Brown said.
“This is textbook viewpoint discrimination and will be quickly struck down by the courts if challenged,” he added.
Donald Trump has a long history of disputes with members of the press corps. During his second term, he became increasingly hostile toward the media.
The US president repeatedly urged broadcasters to cancel comedy or news programs that he disliked or that joked about or criticized him or his administration.
He even called on the Federal Communications Commission to revoke the licenses of stations he disliked.
Trump’s administration imposed stricter controls on reporters during his second term. For example, they control which journalists can cover events as part of the “pool” admitted to confined spaces, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.
Last year, the White House barred the Associated Press from some events because the news agency continued to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” instead of the “Gulf of America,” as Trump had ordered.
In another case, last year Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced new rules for reporters covering the Pentagon. The rules required reporters to sign a document acknowledging restrictions on gathering unauthorized information.
Most major news outlets refused to sign the document and left the Pentagon’s press room.
