SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Washington: Donald Trump said he was banning cable news channel CNN and two other prominent US media outlets from the White House because of what he referred to as their “constant ‘reporting’ fake news”.
The US president made the declaration on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday afternoon, local time (Saturday morning AEST). He said MS-NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, was also banned, along with politics-focused news outlet Politico – which has just launched an Australian division.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump said.
“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” He said the ban on the three outlets was effective immediately.
The announcement is an extraordinary escalation of Trump’s long-standing animosity towards the media and outlets that report factual stories he does not like.
There was no immediate indication that Trump’s threat was being implemented. CNN reporters were still present at the White House in the hour following his social media post.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, which traditionally manages the media presence in the White House press pool, was contacted for comment.
Founded in 1980, CNN provides close coverage of US politics, with several prominent reporters ordinarily based at the White House. Owned by Warner Bros Discovery, it is set to be sold to David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance as part of a $US110 billion merger, though Paramount recently said selling the channel was an option to resolve market concentration issues in the deal.
Trump has frequently targeted CNN for its coverage of his war against Iran and other matters. He has directed many attacks at high-profile anchor Kaitlan Collins, whom he called “very dumb and unhappy” last week. He regularly accuses her of failing to smile sufficiently.
Politico’s inclusion on the banned list was surprising given it is not a regular Trump target. In his Truth Social post, he dredged up an old complaint about the outlet receiving $US8 million from the Biden administration, suggesting it was “corruption”. In fact, the money was for subscriptions to Politico’s premium products.
More to come
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
