CNN, Politico and MS NOW File Lawsuit Against White House Media Ban

Media organisations CNN, Politico, and MS NOW have filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington against the Trump administration after being barred from the White House. The outlets filed the legal action on Monday, requesting a judge to swiftly declare President Donald Trump's ban unconstitutional and prevent his aides from enforcing it.

President Trump announced the exclusion on Friday, accusing the three outlets of reporting "fiction or lies" about his administration. Representatives from the companies stated that their journalists were subsequently denied entry to the White House on Saturday. In a joint statement released Monday, the news organizations stated that the administration revoked credentials without notice or process due to objections over their reporting, warning that the action threatens press freedom.

Networks Suspend Pooled Coverage and Issue Joint Response

In response to the White House barring CNN from fulfilling its duties as part of the five-network press pool for Trump's trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, major US television networks suspended their designated White House pooled coverage on Monday morning. Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton notified staff via email that no replacement pool would be put in place.

A joint statement issued by ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC emphasized that no administration should restrict a news outlet over its reporting. Several other news organizations, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, also declined to participate in pooled events or share still photos from Trump's appearances on Monday. In place of the usual pool structure, conservative outlet Real America's Voice was listed as a secondary crew for the New York trip.

Administration Reactions and Broad Context

Responding to the lawsuit on Truth Social, President Trump described the news outlets as "Third Rate Clowns" and "Crooked and Corrupt Press," asserting that publications writing false stories based on unknown sources should not be granted access to the White House. He added that his team will "almost without question" appeal the matter.

During an event in New York on Monday afternoon with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Trump defended the ban, attributing it to "cumulative stories over the last few years" and suggesting additional outlets could face similar restrictions. Meanwhile, the White House launched a streaming channel on its website called Trump TV on Monday evening.

The legal action follows earlier changes to White House press operations this year. In February, the administration assumed control of the press pool, which had historically been managed by the White House Correspondents' Association. That same month, the administration restricted the Associated Press from limited-access spaces over its terminology usage, leading to an ongoing lawsuit by the news agency.