Journalists for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House on Saturday, September 19, and had their press passes confiscated, the three outlets said. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that CNN correspondent Betsy Klein, MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett were among those turned away.
The action followed President Donald Trump’s announcement a day earlier that he was barring the three organizations. Trump accused them of spreading “fake news,” a characterization made by the president rather than an independently established finding. The White House referred questions about the decision to Trump’s public statement, according to the reports.
CNN called the restriction an illegal assault on its constitutional right to report without government interference. MS NOW said it would take steps to defend its First Amendment rights, while Politico said it would continue covering the administration and support its journalists. The outlets indicated that they may challenge the action.
The dispute concerns physical access and White House credentials, not a general prohibition on the organizations publishing news. Reuters noted that federal judges previously ordered the restoration of credentials for individual reporters Jim Acosta and Brian Karem after earlier White House access disputes. Any legal challenge to the latest action would be decided on its own facts.
