Four major US networks halt Trump coverage in solidarity with CNN

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

The group includes CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox. Brian Bunton, a Fox representative and coordinator for the group, said, "As of today, the press pool will no longer provide joint coverage of events involving the president that would typically fall under shared coverage."

The decision came after the White House barred CNN from participating in the pool covering Trump’s movements. Rather than appointing another network to take its place, the group chose to halt all joint video coverage of presidential events.

The move coincided with announcements from MSNBC, CNN, and Politico that they are suing the Trump administration after being 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 outlets 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 does not have the authority to dictate what the press reports or publishes."

Trump defended the decision to bar the media organizations, insisting that the White House is not targeting a free press but rather what he called "fake news." Posting on Truth Social, he wrote: "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 reprimanding reporters at the White House or aboard Air Force One, and has accused news outlets and newspapers of distorting facts and spreading false stories about him.

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