Major US television networks kept their cameras away as President Donald Trump inaugurated his new White House helicopter landing pad on Monday, staging a rare boycott amid a stiff standoff between the administration and the media.
The boycott was triggered by Trump’s decision to ban three major media outlets—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—from covering the White House.
Daily pooled coverage of White House events is typically handled on a rotating basis by the top five US broadcasters. CNN was scheduled to serve as the TV pool on Monday and to cover the president's trip to New York for the UN General Assembly.
When CNN was barred from taking its customary spot, the networks collectively decided to boycott the president's events for the day, including his UNGA trip, in solidarity.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC said in a joint statement.
In a separate email to UNGA members, the TV pool announced they would suspend coverage of the president.
"This follows the White House's position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place," the email stated.
Meanwhile, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, calling the selective ban an illegal action and "a blatant violation" of the First Amendment.
They argued that the Constitution does not allow government officials to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights without notice or due process, based solely on a dislike of their reporting content.
The ban began over the weekend when reporters from the affected outlets were blocked from the White House. Their entry badges were disabled on Saturday, a day after Trump announced he was barring the outlets over reporting he deemed "fake news."
Writing on Truth Social on Monday, a defiant Trump argued that "fake news" had grown like a cancer in the United States.
"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish," Trump wrote. "It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!"
