By ALLISON RUWALDT
On Friday, President Trump announced that he would be disabling press passes for those reporting for CNN, Politico and MS Now.
Following this announcement, on Saturday reporters from each of those publications arrived at the White House to find that their credentials had been removed. Photographers from the stations are also being denied access.
Trump did this in an effort to stop them from reporting what he calls “fake news” and mentioned in a social media post that he would ban others if he felt it was needed. He claims that these stations specifically highlight negative things to make the republican party look bad.
“It’s really just cumulative stories of over the last couple years,” Trump said. “They purposely write negative news.”
According to NBC News, no one on the White House staff was aware of this decision. Some staff members also said that they were not surprised that he made this choice and are in support of it.
Although the ban does not stop them from reporting on the president and stories that involve the white house, it does prevent them from asking follow-up questions and interacting with any white house officials. This puts those stations at a severe disadvantage and in a position where they simply cannot get all the information they need.
The news outlets are upset with this choice, and all three have said they will take every legal option available to keep the freedom of the press intact. Other news outlets also oppose this ban, as it sets a precedent that banning reporters is acceptable.
In a statement made by the White House Correspondents Association, Jacqui Heinrich, who also reports for FOX News, spoke against the ban, claiming it violates the First Amendment right. She also spoke about how courts have not allowed for a ban on the press in the White House before, and should not start now.
“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,” Heinrich wrote in a WHCA statement. “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.”
MS Now anchor Peter Alexander reported on how this ban is not normal, and he spoke with Gabe Rottman, who is the vice president of policy for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, about the legality of this ban. He says the ban is not legal and also feels that it violates the First Amendment right to freedom of the press.
Despite this being what many are calling an effort to intimidate the press, many reporters and political figures are bringing attention to the fact that this is a violation. Even those not directly affected see the issue that banning even one news station causes.