Reporters from three news outlets have been excluded from the White House under a directive from President Trump, and on Saturday that exclusion took effect as journalists arrived at the gates and were denied entry.
“You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good.”
On Saturday, journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred from entering the White House. The denial came a day after Trump said he was excluding them because of reporting he found to be “fake news.” This marks a clear attack on press freedom during his administration. The move has drawn harsh criticism from the White House Correspondents’ Association and from media law experts.
The Ban Takes Effect
Friday brought a swift announcement from Trump: he would ban all three outlets from the White House. The decision followed coverage he disliked, and it was made without delay.
The White House has a long track record of restricting coverage through administrative action, according to media law expert Amy Kristin Sanders of Penn State University. She said it “has become pretty clear that this administration is not interested in playing by traditional First Amendment rules and norms” and that the second Trump administration’s efforts “far exceed those of any other modern American president.”
Reporters Arrive, Badges Fail
Saturday brought a test of the White House’s new approach to press access, with reporters from the three outlets told they were banned arriving to find their badges no longer worked.
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW were turned away, with their press badges deactivated, after showing up for work. Cheyenne Haslett of Politico was also denied entry and had her badge taken from her.
Trump Explains, Again
On Friday, during an event held in the Oval Office, Trump was questioned about his statement. In response, he dismissed the outlets as fake news and cited their ratings.
Friday, Trump posted on his social media site, writing “I am banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”.
When pressed to say more, Trump explained: “Because they’re fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW … , it’s fake news. And when you look at Politico … the stories they wrote are fake. So there’s a lot of news and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better. But our country has to have honest news.”
The WHCA Pushes Back
The White House Correspondents’ Association’s president, Jacqui Heinrich, called on the administration to immediately restore the three outlets’ access.
“The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably,” she said.
Badge Failure Details
Gardner said she made it through two gates without issue, until her badge required scanning. Then an officer informed her it was disabled and asked her to hand it over. The officer said “the decision was above him.”.
The CNN senior White House reporter, Klein, reported that her press badge was shut down, taken away, and she was returned the clear plastic case she had carried it in before being directed to the White House press office for more information.
Outlets Respond
CNN issued a statement saying the network “will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account.”
MS NOW reported that it “intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”
Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger issued a statement to the newsroom, saying: “We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”
The Pattern Is Familiar
Trump has not confined his actions to administrative measures alone. He has also taken aim at individual reporters in person or through social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms — insulting them during briefings, or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Stelter’s Warning
CNN’s media analyst Brian Stelter called the move “a direct threat to press freedom in the United States.”.
Stelter added that this is “a free speech test in America.”
The White House has made it plain that it has no interest in fair coverage, and this new limit on access is the clearest sign of that stance. The record shows this clearly: the administration has treated press freedom as a rule it does not need to follow.
What Comes Next
The battle has not ended. The three outlets have stated their position and refuse to yield.
Trump is at the presidential retreat in Maryland this weekend.
An independent and free press belongs to the American public, and those who hold power must let the press reach them. The current administration is putting that principle to the test, and the press is answering it.
This paper stands with the press in this conflict. A nation’s liberty rests on a press that is free, and a free press relies upon access to those in power. When leaders withhold that access simply because they dislike the questions, the nation suffers.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs free speech for reporters and is against a president or any office denying entry to journalists. The White House has made its position plain: it has no interest in fair coverage, and it treats press freedom as a rule it does not need to follow.
This is a direct threat to press freedom in the United States. It comes from an administration that has repeatedly restricted access through administrative action, and it follows a pattern of targeting individual outlets the president has singled out. The White House Correspondents’ Association has pushed back, and media law experts have warned the administration is exceeding any other modern president in its willingness to set aside First Amendment norms.
The paper stands with the outlets excluded. A nation’s liberty rests on a press that is free, and a free press relies upon access to those in power. When leaders withhold that access simply because they dislike the questions, the nation suffers. The test of this principle is now set, and the press is answering it.
Source material: “MS NOW, CNN and Politico say their journalists were denied access to White House after Trump ban,” PBS.
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