Four major US networks halt Trump event coverage after CNN barred from White House

Four major US television networks suspended their joint coverage of events involving President Donald Trump on Monday, in solidarity with CNN after it was barred from the White House and excluded from the presidential press pool.

The networks involved are CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox. Brian Bonton, a Fox representative and coordinator for the group, said, "As of today, the pool will no longer cover events involving the president that would typically fall under joint coverage."

The decision followed the White House's move to prevent CNN from participating in the press pool covering Trump's activities. Rather than appointing another network to take CNN's place, the group opted to suspend all joint video coverage of presidential events.

Meanwhile, MSNBC, CNN, and Politico announced they are suing the Trump administration after all three outlets were denied access to the White House. The organizations notified the government of their intention to file a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, with urgent hearings possible this week.

In a joint statement, the media organizations said: "Without notice or due process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting. If left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."

They added that the lawsuit aims to "protect their First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government cannot dictate what the press reports or publishes."

Trump defended the exclusion of the media outlets, insisting the White House was not targeting a free press but what he called "fake news." He wrote on Truth Social: "The White House is not attacking the free press, which it values, but is attacking fake news." He added: "It is corrupt, biased, and totally out of control... It is a threat to our national security and must be stopped, now!"

Trump has long had a tense relationship with the media, frequently insulting and rebuking reporters at the White House or aboard Air Force One, and accusing networks and newspapers of distorting facts and spreading false news about him.

Last year, the Associated Press filed a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration over restrictions on its reporters' access to presidential events, unrelated to the current suit by CNN, MSNBC, and Politico.