21 September :US news organisations CNN, Politico and MS NOW have decided to take legal action against the Trump administration in protest against restrictions on their access to the White House. The three media outlets said they are seeking to defend their right to report independently by challenging the restrictions in court.
According to reports, journalists from the three outlets were barred from entering the White House last Friday. The following day, the journalists’ access credentials were revoked, effectively preventing them from entering the White House.
US President Donald Trump has accused the news organisations of spreading fabricated information and false reports critical of his administration. In a joint statement issued in response to the restrictions, however, CNN, Politico and MS NOW said the journalists’ credentials had been revoked simply because the administration disliked certain reporting, without following any specific rules or established procedures.
The three media organisations said such action conflicts with the freedom of the press protected by the US Constitution. They argued that the government cannot determine which news may or may not be published by the media.
Trump’s disputes with US news organisations are not new. He has previously criticised outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post, referring to them as purveyors of “fake news”.
The White House had also previously restricted access for journalists from The Associated Press (AP) over the agency’s continued use of the name “Gulf of Mexico”. A lawsuit challenging that decision is still pending, according to the report.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW have now decided to pursue legal action jointly. Their move places the issues of press freedom and journalists’ access to the White House before the courts, challenging the restrictions imposed on their reporting access.
Source: BBC.