CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their journalists were barred from entering the White House, the three media organisations said in a joint statement on Monday.
The organisations said they had notified the US government that they would file a lawsuit to protect their rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution and defend the principle that the government should not determine what the media reports or publishes.
“Today, we notified the government that we will file a lawsuit to protect our rights under the First Amendment and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the organisations said.
The legal action follows President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that the three outlets would be prohibited from entering the White House.
Trump said the move was intended to punish the organisations over what he described as “fake news” about his administration.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said the White House had revoked their journalists’ press access without prior notice or proper process because of their reporting.
“If left unchallenged, this action threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the organisations said.
Trump has not provided detailed reasons for the ban but said media organisations should not be allowed to repeatedly publish what he described as fiction and lies when covering the US president.
The lawsuit is expected to put the administration’s restrictions on White House press access under legal scrutiny, particularly over the extent of the government’s authority to limit journalists’ access based on their reporting.
