CNN has been excluded from the press pool traveling with US President Donald Trump on his Saturday trip to Tennessee, the latest step in the White House’s effort to curb the network’s access.
The exclusion follows Trump’s move last week to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, over claims that the outlets gave him only negative coverage. After journalists from the three outlets were denied entry to the White House complex, a judge ordered their access temporarily restored, ruling that Trump’s action was likely unconstitutional.
CNN had been slated to serve as the TV network in the rotating press pool for Saturday’s trip. But a schedule released by the White House on Friday evening left CNN, and every other major TV network, off the pool rotation entirely.
The press pool is a small group of journalists who travel with the president and share coverage with other outlets due to limited space on presidential trips. In place of the usual networks, the White House schedule named only a “Secondary TV” slot, filled by Lindell TV, a pro-Trump outlet owned by Trump ally and businessman Mike Lindell.
Earlier in the week, while CNN’s access was still revoked, the five major US broadcasters — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC — took the rare step of jointly suspending pool coverage of the White House in protest. In a joint statement, the networks said the public has a vital interest in accurate, independent information about its government, and that no administration should restrict a news outlet over its reporting.
CNN declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Friday. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
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