CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump after their journalists were barred from the White House and their press credentials revoked.
The three media organisations announced the legal action on Monday, saying they were seeking to restore their access to the White House and defend their First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, with the organisations seeking court intervention over the administration’s decision to exclude their reporters from the White House. Reuters reported that emergency proceedings could take place within the week.
The legal action followed Trump’s decision on Friday to ban the three outlets from the White House. Trump accused them of reporting what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States.
In a joint statement, CNN, MS NOW and Politico said the government should not determine what the press reports or publishes.
“This morning, we notified the government that 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,” the organisations said.
They also argued that their journalists’ credentials were revoked without notice or process because of objections to their reporting.
The dispute escalated on Saturday, September 19, when reporters from the three organisations were turned away from the White House. Their press passes were confiscated after they arrived at the complex.
Trump had announced the ban in a post on Truth Social, saying media organisations should not be allowed to repeatedly report what he considers false information about the President, his administration or the country.
At a subsequent Oval Office event, Trump said he supported a free press but wanted what he described as a “fair and honest press.”
The White House has not publicly commented on the lawsuit as of Monday, according to Reuters.
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The dispute has also affected CNN’s role within the White House press pool. Reuters reported that the administration removed CNN from a scheduled Monday assignment as the television pool representative and from accompanying Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The lawsuit now places the dispute over White House media access before a federal court. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are asking the court to restore their journalists’ credentials and access while challenging the administration’s decision.
The case could also have broader implications for the relationship between the White House and news organisations, particularly over the extent to which government officials can restrict journalists’ access based on disagreements with their reporting.