Trump bans CNN, Politico and MS NOW from White House access — BBC News
In Washington, US, journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW were denied access to the White House after US President Donald Trump announced a ban on these media outlets. As BBC News reports, on Saturday morning, passes for some newsroom representatives were deactivated, and in some cases they were confiscated.
Journalists’ passes were deactivated
MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and a photographer from the outlet tried to enter the White House grounds, but their passes did not work. According to the journalist, an officer asked her to hand over her badge and said it had been deactivated. At the same time, an MS NOW producer was able to enter using her pass; the outlet received no explanation for the difference in how the badges worked.
CNN correspondent Betsy Klein said that a US Secret Service employee informed her that her pass had been deactivated. Later, Politico said that its reporter, Cheyenne Haslett, was denied entry and that the Secret Service had revoked her access authorization.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Reaction from media outlets and the journalists’ association
On Friday, Trump said he would not allow CNN, Politico and MS NOW into the White House, accusing the outlets of spreading fabrications or falsehoods about his administration. He did not name specific publications that prompted the move, but later said the decision was related to the totality of coverage over the past several years. The president also said the list of media outlets could be expanded, mentioning The New York Times and The Washington Post.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW criticized the ban, calling it a violation of constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and the press. The White House Correspondents’ Association called on the administration to immediately restore journalists’ access. The organization’s president, Jacqui Heinrich, said that the practice of barring media outlets over the content of their reporting could also be applied to other outlets.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides legal assistance to media outlets, called the ban unconstitutional and said it expects courts to quickly overturn it.
