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US TV networks to resume Trump coverage after CNN access restored
Reports from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were blocked by the Trump administration from the White House. A US judge later restored their access.
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American television networks will resume their coverage of US President Donald Trump's events, after reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were restored access in the White House.
This comes amid an ongoing court fight after the Trump-led administration blocked the three news outlets from the White House. A US federal judge later ordered the administration to reinstate their access.
What did CNN say?
CNN said it would be at the National Archives on Friday, with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set to visit the complex which houses America's founding documents, including the US Constitution.
"There will be pool coverage," CNN reporter Kristen Holmes said on air on Friday, speaking from the White House grounds. “CNN will be at the National Archives. CBS will be having pool coverage here at the White House,” Holmes said. CBS was also listed as the pool camera for Friday's events in the US President's public schedule.
US networks' refusal to cover Trump amid Xi visit
Trump had announced a ban on CNN, MS Now and Politico last week, assailing what he called "fake news," and only later arguing that their reporting was a risk to national security.
In response, the three outlets rubbished the reasoning and said that the ban was retaliation over their reporting. Following the ban on CNN from a rotation of five major US broadcast outlets who take turns shooting and sharing video of the President, the other four too, in a show of solidarity, declined to participate in the so-called video pool, the Associated Press reported.
Despite the US judge's reprieve to the three outlets, no major American network aired live coverage of the White House on Thursday amid Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit.
While US federal judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order of 14 days against the ban, CNN and MS NOW said they were still denied access to Xi's state dinner arrival. Reporters and producers from other networks were allowed in, CNN said in a blog post. Owing to this, the White House television press pool signaled it would not resume coverage until the White House formally reinstated CNN.
CNN along with ABC, CBS, FOX News and NBC share the costs of covering the president and rotate coverage, providing pool footage to other outlets, Reuters reported. The White House operations officials said they had needed time to find, reactivate and deliver the reporters' entry badges, which took two hours, according to a court filing.
What did US federal judge say?
The three banned outlets had sued Trump and senior White House officials in federal court, saying that the administration had punished them because of their reporting.
US district judge Timothy Kelly issued an order on the lawsuits, calling the ban unconstitutional, according to Reuters. In the lawsuit, the three outlets had said that the decision violated their First Amendment protections and their right to due process.
The Trump administration later justified in court and said that the outlets violated standards of professionalism and decorum and published sensitive or classified information. However, judge Kelly appeared skeptical of the administration's position, CBS reported.
He questioned whether the White House followed the required process before revoking journalists' credentials. The judge pointed to previous cases establishing that journalists are entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge the withdrawal of their White House access.
Has the judge issued a final ruling?
The judge's order was not a final ruling, but a temporary one reinstating the outlets’ access for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeded, Reuters news agency reported.
However, Kelly, a Trump-appointed judge, said the news outlets would likely succeed on their claim of their constitutional right being violated. Kelly said it was not necessary to resolve the issue of the ban violating the news outlets' rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, saying the due process claim was sufficient to grant a temporary restraining order. The judge set a September 28 deadline for the outlets to request a follow-up ruling, or a preliminary injunction, which would extend the block on Trump's ban.
Deep Dive
“There will be pool coverage,” CNN reporter Kristen Holmes said on air on Friday from the White House grounds. Representatives from the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters news agency's request for comment.
