After Trump ban, MS NOW and CNN say their journalists were denied access to White House

Two major news networks’ journalists said they were denied access to the White House on Saturday morning, with reporters from CNN and MS NOW both going live to report about the circumstances of the ban imposed by President Donald Trump.

The actions escalated Trump’s long-running efforts to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable, and is the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States. Trump said Friday he would ban both organizations and Politico because of their coverage.

CNN issued a statement saying it stood behind its reporters.

“We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account,” it said. The statement was shown on the air before senior White House reporter Betsy Klein began to report on her ban.