CNN, MS NOW and Politico to sue jointly over White House ban

• CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are suing to restore their White House access after President Trump revoked it, citing unfavourable coverage.
• The media outlets claim this ban violates their First Amendment rights protecting freedom of the press.
• This ban is part of broader Trump administration efforts to limit press access, despite previous court rulings against such restrictions.

WASHINGTON - Three media outlets announced on Sept 21 that they will sue to maintain their ability to enter the White House grounds, days after US President Donald Trump revoked their journalists’ access. 

“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,” CNN, MS NOW and Politico said in a joint statement. 

The ban marked a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to curb press access to events and spaces that are in the public interest.

Federal courts have previously overturned similar moves against reporters who work at the White House campus.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution prohibits the government from making laws that abridge freedom of speech and the press.

Trump announced in a social media post on Sept 18 that he was revoking access for CNN, MS Now and Politico “effective immediately” owing to what he described as unfavourable coverage of his administration.

He warned that “other Fake News Media Outlets” could also soon be banned.

“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 in the post. BLOOMBERG