Kicked out of the White House | Trump's dispute with the media escalates

Statements of solidarity with the media affected by Trump's ban hang in the press conference room in the White House. Photo: AFP/Alex Wroblewski Washington.  After the TV channel CNN was kicked out of the White House, the feud between President Donald Trump and several US media outlets escalated. The channels CNN and MS NOW as well as the news portal “Politico,” which was also affected by the exclusion, are going to court to fight back for their places in the White House. And the dispute extends even further: the close TV support on Trump's appointments and trips, which is regulated by a rotation principle by major television networks, was stopped by them - as a protest because CNN is part of this so-called pool.

In the middle of this dispute, the White House went live with its own online channel on Monday evening (local time). The stream called “Trump TV” initially showed speeches by the president and exercises by the US armed forces, whose effectiveness was praised. According to the White House, "Trump TV" will run 24 hours a day - "with the best moments from the past, announcements and the latest and most important news from the government." Initially no own productions or journalistic content could be seen.

Trump's government has long been systematically taking action against media outlets that report critically on the president's policies - or spread "fake news," as he calls it. One consequence of the now limited coverage of his appointments could be that reporting on Trump is declining and there is only patchy TV footage of the Republican's appearances. When accompanying the president, the broadcasters generally make their material available to other media. This pool principle also serves to divide the costs between the media companies.

The pool network includes the TV channels ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News. CNN was supposed to accompany Trump on his trip to New York to the United Nations on Monday. But that didn't happen. The result was that other media outlets did not receive any video material from the TV pool. Instead, the White House showed footage of Trump's helicopter taking off from the government headquarters in Washington via its own YouTube account. 

A joint statement from the TV networks said the public has a fundamental interest in receiving independent information about their government - and that no government should restrict a news organization simply because it disapproves of its reporting. What is remarkable is that the statement came from all five TV channels - and therefore also from Fox News. This is actually Trump's favorite station, which often reports favorably on him and gives him a lot of space in the program.

The “New York Times” also expressed its solidarity with the “unjustly targeted” media companies. On Monday, the newspaper was assigned to the press pool, which is responsible for photos. In response to the exclusion of CNN and Co., she announced that she would not pass on the pictures taken on Monday or publish them herself. The Washington Post also announced that it would not publish photos of the president's appearances on Monday. 

CNN, “Politico” and MS NOW filed their lawsuit in a court in the capital Washington. The media said in a joint statement that the ban was a "threat to press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism without government interference." The aim is to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports on or what it publishes." 

The media's lawsuit was filed as an urgent application. This means that a court must deal with the case quickly. It was requested that the ban be overturned immediately.

CNN is one of the most famous news channels in the world. “Politico” is part of the portfolio of the German media group Axel Springer. MS NOW was previously known as MSNBC.

Trump announced on Friday that the three media outlets would be banned from entering the White House with immediate effect because they had spread false news. In New York on Monday, Trump said it was mandatory to deny media access to government headquarters if they carried such news. Critics see Trump's actions as an attack on press freedom and an obvious attempt to intimidate critically reporting media.

On Saturday, journalists from all three media companies said access to the White House grounds was blocked. How long the access ban will remain in place is unclear. Trump did not give a time frame and even threatened to extend the ban to other media. 

On Monday, the US President upped the ante and wrote on Truth Social that the White House was not taking action against the free press, which is important to him - but against "FAKE NEWS", which had spread "like cancer" in the USA. Trump, who repeatedly attracts attention with false claims, distortions and linguistic gaffes, even spoke of a threat to national security. He often uses this argument when issuing legally controversial orders.

On Sunday, Trump also posted a provocative image on his Truth Social account: three garbage bags standing in front of the White House with the logos of the media he has booted off.

In his second term, Trump is taking increasingly tough action against unpopular media. He often insults journalists if he doesn't like the questions they ask. Benevolent reporting, on the other hand, is expressly praised.

As in Germany, freedom of the press is constitutionally anchored in the USA. As is usual in a democracy, journalists should be able to report freely. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that the U.S. Parliament may not pass any law restricting freedom of speech or freedom of the press.

Before the US parliamentary elections in six weeks, Trump is under pressure domestically. His Republicans want to defend their razor-thin majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, the president's popularity ratings are extremely poor. Election polls indicate a possible shift in power in Congress in favor of the Democrats.  dpa/nd

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