Five TV Networks Suspend White House Coverage After Three Outlets Banned

09/22/2026 / By Douglas Harrington

Mainstream media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, Sept. 21, after reporters from the three outlets were denied White House access over the weekend, according to a joint statement and the 27-page filing ^[1].

The five major TV networks – CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News – suspended distribution of presidential pool footage until further notice, according to an email from Fox News Washington bureau senior vice president Bryan Boughton ^[2]. The complaint names President Donald Trump, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Secret Service Director Sean Curran and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as defendants, according to court documents ^[1].

Lawsuit Alleges First Amendment Violation

The outlets said in a joint statement that they notified the government they were filing suit to protect First Amendment rights and defend the principle that government does not decide what the press reports or publishes ^[1]. The statement said the White House revoked journalist credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting, adding that the action threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism ^[3].

The filing stated that the White House’s announcement Friday, Sept. 18, barring the outlets from the executive mansion was a direct assault on the First Amendment and a violation of constitutional principles, according to the complaint ^[4]. The suit argued that the Constitution protects press credentials and the access they afford White House reporters, and that no official can deprive plaintiffs of those interests without notice or process, according to the filing ^[5].

TV Pool Suspension Follows Credential Dispute

Boughton wrote in an email to the White House press corps that effective Monday, the TV pool would not cover events designated as pool coverage of the president, according to the message ^[2]. The email stated the suspension followed the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties, and that no replacement pool would be put in place, according to Boughton ^[2].

Monday was CNN‘s turn to staff the TV pool, meaning it would have provided video of Trump’s trip to New York for meetings with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and French President Emmanuel Macron during the United Nations General Assembly, according to the reporting ^[2]. Print, radio and wire journalists, along with still photographers, were still expected to cover Trump’s travel, and the White House has an in-house video camera that broadcasts footage on social media channels, according to the report ^[6].

White House Response and Prior Press Disputes

Trump posted on Truth Social Monday that the White House was not instituting an assault on the free press, but rather an assault on what he called the “FAKE NEWS,” according to the post ^[3]. During an Oval Office event Friday, Trump said the edict resulted from “cumulative stories over the last two years” rather than any single report, adding, “You get sick of it,” according to his remarks ^[7].

Trump also said, “I don’t want them in my office. I don’t want them here,” and added that the ban would go as far as possible, according to the event ^[7]. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday, Sept. 20, that Trump decided to announce the ban after his executive assistant Natalie Harp showed him a montage of MS NOW anchors critiquing the administration ^[7]. The dispute follows a prior legal fight after the Associated Press (AP) was removed from pooled access last year when it refused to adopt Trump’s “Gulf of America” rebranding, according to the report ^[5].

Access, Legal Action and Next Steps

On Saturday, Sept. 19, Akayla Gardner of MS NOW, CNN reporter Betsy Klein and Politico‘s Cheyenne Haslett were refused entry to the White House grounds by the Secret Service, which also confiscated their press passes, according to the report ^[8]. Reporters and producers from all three organizations were prevented from accessing workspace adjacent to the White House briefing room, and CNN and MS NOW could not use equipment or broadcast positions on the North Lawn, according to the report ^[8].

On Monday, First Lady Melania Trump’s office approved Klein’s credential request to cover an event featuring the president’s wife on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to the report ^[3]. The AP‘s previous access to all presidential events has not been restored, and that legal fight is ongoing, according to the report ^[5].

References

BBC. “CNN, MS NOW and Politico to file lawsuit against Trump’s White House ban”. September 21, 2026.
Just The News. “Major television networks agree to suspend pool coverage of Trump after White House bans CNN”. September 21, 2026.
100 Percent Fed Up. “Media Outlets Banned From White House File Lawsuit, President Trump Responds”. September 21, 2026.
The New American. “CNN, MS Now, Politico Sue Trump to Overturn Ban From White House”. September 21, 2026.
ZeroHedge. “Media TV Pool Won’t Cover Trump As CNN, MS NOW, Politico To Sue Over White House Ban”. September 21, 2026.
Just The News. “White House unveils ‘Trump TV’ amid legal battle over media coverage”. September 21, 2026.
NaturalNews.com. “Trump Says MS NOW, CNN and Politico Are Barred From White House Over Coverage”. September 21, 2026.
BBC. “Trump escalates media fight after week of setbacks”. September 21, 2026.