Trump faces court battle over White House press ban - The Guardian Nigeria News
The Trump administration is facing a legal challenge over its decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, turning a dispute over media access into a broader court battle over press freedom and presidential authority.The three media organisations sued the administration after their journalists were denied access to the White House and their press credentials revoked.
The organisations are asking a federal court to restore their access, arguing that the administration’s action violates their First Amendment rights.The lawsuit followed President Donald Trump’s decision to exclude the three outlets after accusing them of publishing what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States.
The restrictions were enforced on Saturday, when reporters from the affected organisations were turned away from the White House and had their press passes confiscated.
In a joint statement published by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, the organisations said, “This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
They added, “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
The dispute now moves beyond the White House press room and into federal court, where the central issue will be the extent of the administration’s authority to control access to the presidential complex.
The media organisations’ challenge also invokes a long-standing legal precedent concerning White House press access. In the 1977 case Sherrill v. Knight, a federal appeals court ruled that while the White House could establish reasonable rules governing press access, journalists could not be excluded arbitrarily because of their reporting.
Trump, however, has defended the restrictions, arguing that the affected organisations have treated his administration unfairly.At an Oval Office event, Trump said, “It’s sick. I mean, there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stuff.
Now, if they want to write them, that’s fine. But I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.”
The White House decision has also affected planned media coverage of Trump’s activities. CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool representative covering Trump and accompany him to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but the network was subsequently removed from that assignment.
CNN had earlier described the proposed exclusion as an “illegal assault” on its constitutional right to report without government interference. With the case now before the courts, the dispute is set to test the boundaries between the government’s control over access to the White House and the media’s right to report independently on the president and his administration.
