September 22, 2026
The White House’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico has triggered a legal fight over press access.
Major television networks are standing together to push back against President Donald Trump’s latest ban on news media.
The clash began Friday after the president banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House. The move follows Trump’s continued efforts to restrict news coverage that he finds objectionable. In response, the entire presidential television press pool, which includes CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News, has suspended coverage of the president.
CNN had been scheduled to provide the press pool feed for Trump’s trip to New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. The other four networks declined to replace CNN, effectively removing the shared video feed broadcasters and other media organizations rely on for coverage of presidential events.
“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” wrote the TV pool in an email, according to The Associated Press. “This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place.”
Trump defended the restrictions, arguing that the targeted outlets publish what he calls “fake news.” Vice President JD Vance has similarly characterized the move as a decision not to provide what he described as “special access” to outlets that engage in propaganda, while saying the organizations can continue reporting from outside the White House.
The five networks also criticized Trump’s decision in a joint statement, saying, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” reports The New Republic.
In addition, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore their access to the White House. The outlets said the government revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or due process because of objections to their reporting. A hearing on their request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for Wednesday.
“This is not a tantrum by three media outlets who are upset because they can’t get into the White House or the Oval Office,” CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang said on Fox News. “This is a serious concern for the public, because an attack on one outlet is an attack on everyone, no matter where that outlet falls on the political spectrum.”
As the legal battle moves forward, the question is no longer simply which networks get inside the White House. It is also about who controls the pipeline through which Americans receive video of the president doing the nation’s business.
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