US probes five TV networks over suspension of Trump press pool coverage

MUMBAI: The news is now making news. The US Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into five major television networks after they temporarily suspended shared coverage of President Donald Trump’s public appearances amid a dispute over White House press access, Reuters reported.

The probe covers ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, which jointly operate the television press pool. The system works on a rotation, with participating networks recording presidential events and distributing footage to other news organisations, including domestic and international outlets. A Justice Department official said the department issued civil investigative demands to the five networks on Friday.

The investigation follows a confrontation that began on 19 September, when the White House revoked the credentials of journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW, barring them from entering the building. The administration defended the restrictions by arguing that access to the president was a privilege rather than a right.

The three news organisations subsequently sued the administration, alleging that the restrictions violated their First Amendment rights and amounted to retaliation for their reporting.

After CNN was excluded from the White House press pool, the five networks temporarily withheld their shared coverage and did not arrange replacement pool services. However, individual networks continued to report on White House events open to the press outside the pooled arrangement.

The press pool is designed to ensure that footage of presidential appearances can be shared widely without requiring every news organisation to send its own crew to each event. Its temporary suspension therefore brought the networks’ collective response to the access dispute into focus.

The White House restored the journalists’ credentials on 24 September, after US District Judge Timothy Kelly found that the restrictions were likely unconstitutional and directed the administration to reinstate their access. Disagreements over entry to particular presidential events and the allocation of press-pool assignments continued after the ruling.

The Justice Department’s investigation adds an antitrust dimension to the administration’s ongoing confrontation with news organisations. Trump has repeatedly accused mainstream media outlets of spreading fake news and has frequently clashed with journalists during press interactions.

Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, criticised the investigation, arguing that the First Amendment protects editorial decisions made by news organisations. He described the probe as an attempt to intimidate journalists.

The five networks have previously defended independent journalism in a joint statement, saying the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate information about its government and that news organisations should not face restrictions because of their reporting.

The investigation will now examine the networks’ response to the press-access dispute. The issuance of investigative demands marks a formal step in the probe, but does not itself establish that the broadcasters violated antitrust law.