DOJ Probes TV Networks Over White House Coverage Decisions
(Bloomberg) — The Justice Department said it is investigating five television networks that stopped providing pooled coverage of President Donald Trump’s appearances after the White House barred several news organizations from access.
The department’s Antitrust Division is examining CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC, which make up the television transmission pool that records presidential events and shares footage among news organizations.
“Members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events,” Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said in a statement. “Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act.”
“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she said. The New York Times reported earlier on the probe.
The networks suspended pool coverage last month after Trump barred reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over coverage he considered unfavorable. When CNN was removed from its scheduled pool assignment for Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly, the other networks declined to take its place.
The dispute continued through most of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaving Chinese state media and the White House’s own video feed among the few ways to watch much of the summit.
Trump has been escalating his battle with the news media in recent weeks as he escalates pressure on mainstream media he has long dismissed as “fake news.”
US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the three news organizations’ access restored on Sept. 24, finding they were likely to succeed on claims that the restrictions violated the First Amendment and denied them due process. The television pool resumed coverage the following day.
Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, has said he will hold a hearing on whether to extend the order protecting the outlets’ access. Bloomberg News was among the news organizations that joined a legal brief supporting the barred outlets.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
