CNN excluded from Trump’s Saturday travel pool by White House
The White House has removed CNN from the television press pool for President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Tennessee. The decision comes amid a legal and political dispute over the administration’s attempts to restrict access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico because of their coverage.
CNN has been excluded from travelling with President Donald Trump on Saturday after the White House omitted the network from the television press-pool schedule for his planned trip to Tennessee. The schedule issued on Friday evening listed neither CNN nor any of the television networks in the regular television-pool rotation. Instead, it named a correspondent and crew from Lindell TV as the “Secondary TV” team.
The pool is a rotating group of journalists who accompany the president and distribute coverage to other news organisations when space is restricted. CNN had been due to provide the television coverage for the trip. The move follows Trump’s effort last week to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
The president accused the outlets of reporting only negatively about him. Journalists from those organisations were blocked from entering the White House complex, but a judge ordered their access temporarily restored. The judge said Trump’s decision was likely unconstitutional.
The dispute also prompted an unusual joint response from the five largest US broadcasters. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC suspended pool coverage of the White House earlier in the week while CNN’s access was revoked. The broadcasters said the public needed accurate and independent information about its government.
They argued that no administration should restrict a news organisation because it objected to the outlet’s reporting. CNN declined to comment when contacted by AFP. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
The source material does not state whether the network will be included in future presidential travel pools.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.