Four major United States television networks have joined CNN in suspending pooled coverage of President Donald Trump after the White House barred CNN from carrying out its scheduled duties as part of the presidential television pool.
ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and Fox News announced the suspension on Monday in solidarity with CNN, which was due to provide pool coverage of Trump’s activities, including his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The five networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC — said in a joint statement that the decision was taken in defence of independent reporting and access to government activities.
“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,” the networks said.
The suspension followed the Trump administration’s decision to remove CNN as the designated television pool provider for Monday, leaving no major network responsible for providing shared television footage of the President’s scheduled events.
Bryan Boughton, Fox News Washington bureau chief and chairman of the White House television pool, informed the other networks of the decision in a Monday email.
“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool 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,” Boughton said.
He added that other pool operations, including coverage of Congress, senior officials and selected events across Washington and other parts of the country, would continue.
The television pool system allows the participating networks to rotate responsibility for covering the President and sharing their live video feeds with other news organisations.
The arrangement is designed to ensure that television coverage is available even where physical space is limited, including during presidential travel.
CNN’s removal from the pool followed President Trump’s announcement on Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were being barred from the White House.
Trump accused the three organisations of publishing what he described as “fake news” and said he was taking action because of what he regarded as persistently negative coverage.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He subsequently defended the decision, saying the administration was targeting what he described as “fake news” rather than the free press. The White House has also referred media inquiries about the ban to Trump’s statements.
The banned outlets, however, have challenged the decision in court.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit on Monday against Trump and senior administration officials, arguing that the ban violates their First Amendment rights to freedom of the press and Fifth Amendment due process protections.
The organisations said their journalists’ White House credentials were revoked after the administration objected to their reporting.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the three organisations said in a joint statement.
They further argued in their legal filing that the ban represented a direct challenge to constitutional protections for the press.
The case was filed in federal court in Washington, where the news organisations are seeking urgent relief to restore their access to the White House.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has also criticised the exclusion of the affected journalists, with its president, Jacqui Heinrich, saying government officials should not determine media access based on the content of journalists’ reporting.
“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinise those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favourably,” Heinrich said.
The White House has defended the President’s action. Vice President JD Vance said the administration was not banning media organisations but was withholding what he described as special access from outlets engaged in what he characterised as propaganda.
The dispute has created an unusual situation in which the President’s scheduled events temporarily lack a designated television pool, potentially limiting the availability of shared video coverage of his public appearances.
The immediate impact is particularly significant as Trump is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where he is scheduled to participate in events and meet world leaders.
The television networks said their suspension would remain in effect pending developments over the White House’s decision to prevent CNN from carrying out its assigned pool responsibilities.
The confrontation marks another escalation in the Trump administration’s dispute with major news organisations over White House access and the role of the media in covering the presidency.
