SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Washington: Major US television networks suspended their shared pool coverage of President Donald Trump on Monday, September 21, hours before a technical glitch left his own remarks unheard at a White House event, as CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the administration over a ban on their reporters.
Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News took the rare joint step after CNN was removed from the rotating television pool for Trump’s trip to New York ahead of the UN General Assembly.
“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Bryan Boughton, the Washington bureau chief at Fox News and current TV pool chair, wrote in an email to members, adding that no replacement pool would be put in place.
The five television pool members said in a joint statement that the public had a direct stake in independent reporting about the government. “No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting,” they said.
The television pool supplies video footage and reporting when space or travel limits prevent the full press corps from accompanying the president. Print and photo journalists did not suspend their pool coverage, though The New York Times said it would withhold images from the White House still photography pool on Monday in solidarity with the barred outlets.
“We remain committed to covering the president’s travel to New York City today. Americans deserve a free and independent media covering their government without intimidation,” NYT spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said.
Hours later, the standoff played out in an unexpected way at a separate event: Trump inaugurated a new helipad on the White House South Lawn, but a helicopter’s noise overwhelmed the microphone feed throughout, leaving his remarks largely inaudible to those watching online. Newsmax, covering the event, noted the irony, calling it a moment where the press situation had “backfired.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit in federal court in Washington, seeking a temporary order blocking enforcement of the ban and restoration of their reporters’ permanent White House credentials. The case was assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. The lawsuit also names White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, chief of staff Susie Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the three outlets said in a joint statement. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., a lawyer representing the organisations, called the White House action “a direct assault on the First Amendment and a blatant violation of due process.”
Trump rejected the charge that his administration was attacking press freedom. “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The row also came up during Trump’s Monday meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani said he had assured the president that press access would be maintained on the lawn. Trump, in response, dismissed talk of a boycott, pointing to the size of the press contingent present.
Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico said they were denied entry to the White House grounds early Saturday, and their credentials were deactivated or confiscated. Trump had announced the ban on Friday while attacking their coverage, without identifying a specific report that prompted the action.
(With inputs from IANS.)
SOURCE : SIASAT
