CNN, MS NOW and Politico plan lawsuit over White House access ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico said on Monday that they would sue the Trump administration after being denied access to the White House. In a joint statement, the three outlets said they had notified the government that they were filing the lawsuit to protect their First Amendment rights and the principle that officials should not decide what the press reports or publishes. The organisations said the White House revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or a process because it objected to their reporting.

They argued that leaving the decision unchallenged would threaten press freedom and the public’s access to independent journalism. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was banning the outlets from the presidential mansion as punishment for distributing what he called “fake news”. He did not specify the report or reports that prompted the action.

Trump said media outlets should not be able to repeatedly publish or broadcast what he described as fiction and lies about the president. Trump, an 80-year-old Republican, also warned that other outlets could face similar treatment, although he did not identify them. The supplied report said he has had a contentious relationship with mainstream media organisations but gave no further details.

CNN had been scheduled to operate as the White House television pool on Monday. Under the rotating arrangement, the assigned broadcaster films on behalf of television outlets. Updated White House guidance issued late Sunday instead listed a backup crew.