The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes a joint First Amendment lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, and the solidarity shown by other members of the TV press pool in support of the media’s right to report, after President Donald Trump moved to ban the three outlets from the White House.
In a September 18 social media post, Trump announced reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be banned from the White House “effective immediately”and claimed without evidence that news media posed a national security threat. The next day, reporters from all three outlets were denied entrance to the White House grounds.
Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said the ban violated the First Amendment and called on the White House to immediately restore access.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a joint lawsuit on September 21 arguing the access ban violates “the most basic guarantees of the First Amendment” and amounts to viewpoint discrimination based on the content of the targeted outlets’ reporting. The outlets also argued the ban violates their right to due process by denying them “advance notice based on clear standards and an opportunity to be heard.”
In a show of solidarity shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the five major TV networks that make up the rotating press pool that covers the president announced they would suspend coverage of the White House amid the ban, and would not fill in for CNN, which was scheduled for pool duty on September 21.
In a joint statement, the five networks, which are Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, said that: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting.”
“The First Amendment makes clear that the government — including the president — does not get to pick and choose which news outlets cover it, nor control what they report,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “This foundational principle protects the American public’s right to independent and diverse sources of news and information about those in power. This week’s show of unity among members of the White House press pool is a powerful affirmation of that principle.”
IPI stands in solidarity with journalists in the United States and commends their commitment to public interest reporting that scrutinises power without fear or favour.