CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued the administration of US President Donald Trump after their journalists were barred from the White House and their press credentials revoked.
The three media organisations announced the legal action on Monday, saying they were seeking to restore their access to the White House and protect their First Amendment rights.
ABC News, in a report published on Monday, September 21, initially reported that the three outlets planned to file a First Amendment lawsuit against the government that day.
However, Reuters reported later on Monday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The development followed Trump’s decision on Friday to bar the three outlets from the White House, accusing them of reporting what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States.
In a joint statement published by CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday, the outlets said, “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.”
The statement added, “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.”
Reuters reported on Monday that the lawsuit followed Trump’s announcement that the three organisations would be banned from the White House grounds.
Reporters from the three outlets were turned away from the White House on Saturday, September 19, after the ban was announced.
Reuters reported that the journalists’ press passes were confiscated when they attempted to enter the White House.
On Friday, September 18, Trump announced the ban against CNN, MS NOW and Politico, accusing them without specifics of reporting “fiction and lies.”
CNN described the proposed ban as an “illegal assault” on its constitutional right to journalism without government interference.
CNN said its reporting was “fair and accurate” and protected under the US Constitution.
Trump defended the decision in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying, “Media 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.”
At an Oval Office event after the post, Trump told reporters that he supported a free press but wanted what he called a “fair and honest press.”
“It’s sick. I mean, there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stuff. Now, if they want to write them, that’s fine. But I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house,” Trump said.
The White House ban was enforced on Saturday, when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the complex.
ABC News reported on Saturday that reporters from the three organisations had been denied access following Trump’s announcement.
The Associated Press also reported that the reporters’ credentials were confiscated after they arrived at the White House.
The lawsuit now places the dispute over media access before a federal court, with the three news organisations seeking to challenge the government’s decision to exclude their journalists from the White House.
CBS News reported on Saturday that two MS NOW staffers were turned away from the White House, with their press passes revoked.
The dispute comes as Trump has repeatedly criticised news organisations over their coverage of his administration and has threatened to extend restrictions to other media outlets.
Reuters reported on Monday that the White House had also removed CNN from its scheduled Monday assignment as the television pool representative for the White House press corps.
CNN had been scheduled to serve as the primary television pool network on Monday and accompany Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, according to the report.
The legal action by the three organisations follows their reporters’ exclusion from the White House and the revocation of their credentials without prior notice, according to their joint statement.
The PUNCH