A ‘ban on the free press’: White House bars journalists from three outlets

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were prevented from entering the White House grounds on Saturday after President Donald Trump said the three organizations would be barred for publishing what he labeled “fake news.” Journalists at the scene described being turned away at security and having their White House press credentials disabled or taken. CNN’s Betsy Klein and MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner both reported on air that they were denied access; Gardner said an officer informed her the badge had been disabled and confiscated it. Politico said its reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also refused entry and had her access pass seized by the Secret Service. The affected news outlets issued statements defending their reporting and said they would defend their First Amendment rights. The White House Correspondents’ Association noted that Trump himself described the move as a “ban on the free press,” and emphasized that constitutional protections for the press do not depend on presidential approval of coverage. Media figures and press-freedom groups also criticized the decision: CNN analyst Brian Stelter called it a direct threat to press freedom, while the Knight First Amendment Institute and the Freedom of the Press Foundation said the action raises serious constitutional questions. Legal experts and reporters pointed to precedent that could shape any challenge. A 1977 federal appeals court ruling, Sherrill v. Knight, concluded that once the White House provides press facilities for credentialed journalists, access cannot be denied arbitrarily; it also required that journalists be given notice of the reasons for denial, an opportunity to respond, and a final written explanation. It remains unclear what legal steps CNN, MS NOW or Politico will take or how courts would apply Sherrill to this situation. Al Jazeera’s Washington correspondent said the ban is likely to be challenged soon, and press advocates are closely watching how the dispute unfolds.