Trump bans CNN, MS NOW, Politico from the White House for ‘fake news’

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was immediately banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing false and negative stories about his administration. He announced the move in a social media post and elaborated on it during remarks to reporters at the White House, characterising the outlets’ coverage as intentionally negative and cumulative in effect. According to the report, Trump wrote on social media that the three organisations were responsible for constant "reporting" of what he described as fake news and said other outlets could follow. In the Oval Office he told reporters the media organisations ‘‘purposely write negative news’’ and suggested the coverage was aimed at diminishing Republicans and his administration. A CNN spokesperson told Al Jazeera the network stands by its reporting and warned that a government-imposed ban would infringe on constitutionally protected press freedoms. Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher noted in his coverage that the United States’ First Amendment restricts government action against the press and predicted the prohibition would likely face legal challenge. Trump has repeatedly criticised news organisations while in office, frequently using the phrase ‘‘fake news’’ to describe coverage he views as unfavourable. The administration’s new exclusions mark a further escalation in that ongoing dispute between the White House and national media outlets, and prompted immediate commentary from both the banned organisations and constitutional experts in the source coverage.