The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: CNN

  • White House Blocks CNN From Travelling With Trump To Tennessee

    White House Blocks CNN From Travelling With Trump To Tennessee

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The White House has barred CNN from travelling aboard Air Force One with United States President Donald Trump for his Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, despite the network being scheduled to serve as the television press pool reporter.

    The latest restriction comes days after Trump’s administration banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the organisations of publishing coverage that was unfavourable to his administration.

    A federal judge, Timothy Kelly, subsequently ordered the administration to restore the three outlets’ access to the White House, ruling that they were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without adequate due process.

    CNN reporters returned to the White House on Thursday following the ruling, although the network and MS NOW later reported being denied access to parts of an event marking Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit.

    Despite the restoration of access, CNN was excluded from Trump’s trip to Tennessee, where the President is scheduled to attend a college football game.

    CNN had been due to take its turn in the rotating television press pool, a system involving ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN. The designated network provides video coverage of presidential events and distributes the footage to other television outlets because of limited space during presidential travel.

    However, a White House schedule released late Friday did not list CNN or another member of the traditional television pool as the primary TV pooler for Saturday.

    Instead, the schedule listed Real America’s Voice News, a conservative outlet, in a secondary television role. The Washington Post reported that the White House decision effectively prevented CNN from carrying out the pool duties it had been assigned for the trip.

    The dispute has already disrupted the White House television pool. After CNN was barred from the White House last week, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC joined CNN in suspending pooled video coverage in protest.

    The five networks said the public had an important interest in receiving independent information about the government and argued that news organisations should not be denied access because of disagreements over their reporting.

    The television pool resumed on Friday after CNN’s White House access was restored. CBS served as the designated pool network for most of the day, while CNN handled coverage of an event at the National Archives.

    The latest exclusion, however, has raised fresh questions about the future of the rotational pool and the administration’s approach to media access during presidential travel.

    CNN confirmed its exclusion from the Tennessee trip, while the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

  • White House Restores CNN, Politico, MS NOW Access After Court Order

    White House Restores CNN, Politico, MS NOW Access After Court Order

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The White House has restored access to CNN, Politico and MS NOW after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to lift its ban on the three news organisations.

    The outlets regained access on Thursday, hours after US District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that their exclusion from the White House press facilities was likely unconstitutional.

    CNN, Politico and MS NOW had sought an emergency court hearing after their journalists were reportedly turned away from the White House despite the judge’s ruling.

    The hearing was later cancelled after the White House restored their press access.

    The dispute began after President Donald Trump barred the three outlets, initially accusing them of publishing what he described as “fake news.” The administration later argued that their exclusion was justified by national security concerns.

    However, in his ruling, Kelly questioned the administration’s national security justification, noting that Trump had not cited national security when the ban was first announced.

    Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in their argument that the administration had failed to provide adequate due process before revoking their press passes.

    The judge ordered the immediate restoration of the journalists’ access and temporarily halted enforcement of the ban for 14 days.

    The White House director of operations subsequently informed the court that the outlets’ press passes and confiscated badges had been restored by 9:45am.

    The three organisations later confirmed that their journalists had been allowed back into the White House.

    The dispute occurred as Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House ahead of a state dinner, limiting some television networks’ coverage of the engagement.

    Fox News, NBC, CBS and ABC had earlier withdrawn from White House coverage in solidarity with the affected outlets. It was not immediately clear whether the networks would resume their regular White House broadcasts following the restoration of access.

    In court filings, the US Department of Justice had argued that reports published by CNN, Politico and MS NOW posed national security concerns. Government lawyers cited stories involving missile stockpiles, construction of a White House ballroom and the recent Republican midterm convention.

    The three media organisations rejected the administration’s position and accused the Trump administration of violating their constitutional rights.

    In a joint statement, they said their legal action was aimed at defending the principle that the government should not determine what the press reports.

    More than 50 media organisations from across the political spectrum also filed a brief supporting the lawsuit, including Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

    The dispute is not the first instance of a US administration facing criticism over restrictions on media access.

    In 2009, the Obama administration attempted to exclude Fox News from a specific press pool interview with an administration official. Following objections from other networks participating in the pool, Fox News was ultimately allowed to attend.