The White House television press pool has suspended its pooled coverage of President Donald Trump after his administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from briefings, branding the outlets “fake news.”
Fox News Media, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News, the five outlets that make up the pool, said in a joint statement that they were pausing coverage in response to the ban. “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” the statement read.
CNN had been scheduled to handle pool duties on Monday when the suspension was announced.
The three banned outlets said Sunday they plan to sue the administration to regain access, saying the move was meant “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
Trump responded by saying he was “not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” and framed the ban as a response to what he considers inaccurate reporting rather than an attack on press freedom itself.
The dispute centers on a basic tension: the outlets argue the government has no business deciding which news organizations get access based on how it covers the administration, while the White House maintains it is pushing back on reporting it views as false rather than restricting anyone’s right to publish. Notably, none of the banned outlets have been stopped from reporting, criticizing the administration, or pursuing legal action — they were removed from a specific access arrangement, not silenced.
Separately, the White House posted a cryptic message on social media Sunday alongside an image of a television set: “Something’s coming. Stay tuned.” It is not clear whether the post is connected to the pool suspension or the broader dispute with the banned outlets. The administration has not elaborated on what the teaser refers to.
It remains to be seen how long the pool suspension will last or whether the lawsuit from CNN, MS NOW and Politico will proceed to reshape how reporters gain access to cover the president.
