Access to the White House denied: American media launches counterattack

afp | After the ban on access to the White House, the US television channels CNN and MS Now and the Politico platform want to sue the US government. “We informed the government this morning that we will be filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights,” the three US media outlets said together on the online service X on Monday. This is intended to defend the principle “that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”

The White House revoked journalists' accreditations "without notice or process" because it "objected to our reporting," the joint statement continued. If this is not contradicted, “this threatens freedom of the press and the public’s right to independent journalism free from state influence,” the three media outlets explained.

In response to the stay-at-home order, four other major broadcasters are temporarily limiting their coverage of President Trump. The broadcasters ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC announced on Monday, together with CNN, that they would no longer report on Trump appearances for the time being. The broadcasters belong to a so-called pool that rotates Trump appointments and also supplies European media with images.

“No government may restrict a media company simply because it disapproves of its reporting,” the five broadcasters said.

US President Donald Trump banned the two television channels and the news website from entering the White House “with immediate effect” in a post on his online platform Truth Social on Friday. “Other media outlets that spread false information will follow,” he threatened. Trump did not give a reason for the ban, but he said that the media should be prevented from “spreading fabrications and lies.”

At the weekend, journalists from the three media outlets were denied access to the White House and their access badges were confiscated. The Association of White House Correspondents condemned the move as unconstitutional.

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.

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