US networks halt Trump coverage over White House ban

“THREATENS PRESS FREEDOM”

Trump announced the ban on Friday in a major escalation of his years-long assault on the US media, especially on outlets that report critically on him and his administration.

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated.

The outlets said the White House revoked their journalists’ credentials “without notice or process” because it “objected to our reporting”.

“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” they said in their joint statement.

Their lawsuit calls for the immediate overturning of the ban and a ruling that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to free speech.

Trump has not detailed what prompted the ban, but said in response to a question from an AFP reporter in the Oval Office on Friday that it was “really just cumulative stories over the last two years”.

“They want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration,” Trump added.

Trump warned Friday that other outlets could face a similar fate, without saying which.

The billionaire former reality TV star has long attacked media outlets that have aired critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly blasting the press as the “enemy of the people.”

Through both terms in office he has claimed journalists have failed to show sufficient appreciation for his accomplishments. Trump has also stood out in presidential history for routinely insulting journalists he doesn’t like both in person and on social media.