The fallout from President Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from the White House continued on Monday, with the news organizations filing a federal lawsuit, other outlets dropping their coverage in protest and the administration launching a live YouTube stream branded “TRUMP TV.”
In response to the ban, four major TV networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News — refused to participate in the White House pool, the rotating group of reporters, photographers and videographers that document the president’s public events. CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool on Monday.
As a result, Trump was largely inaudible during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White House’s new helipad on Monday, where he gave a brief speech without the microphone that the pool would typically provide.
On Monday night, the White House launched a Trump TV YouTube stream. Branded “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station,” the White House said in its description that it would run videos and highlights of “the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place.” The first video showed Trump’s remarks on July 3 at Mount Rushmore.
The three banned news organizations filed a lawsuit against Trump and three of his top advisers in federal court earlier Monday, demanding that access for their reporters be immediately restored.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” CNN, MS NOW and Politico said in a joint statement. “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Trump TV launches after White House bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico and major networks halt video coverage in Protest
