DOJ probes TV networks over White House press pool boycott
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The Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into five television networks for suspending White House press pool coverage after President Donald Trump barred CNN and two other outlets.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced an antitrust inquiry into five television networks that halted White House press pool coverage in September. The investigation focuses on whether the coordinated suspension, undertaken in solidarity with CNN after President Donald Trump barred the network and two other media outlets from the White House, violated the Sherman Act.
"Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act," the Justice Department said in a statement, adding that the Antitrust Division is assessing possible violations.
The television press pool, which includes ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN, distributes broadcast feeds of White House events to other outlets. The pool’s chair said the suspension followed the White House’s decision to prevent CNN from fulfilling its pool duties. The networks later resumed coverage.
President Trump announced on September 18 that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House complex, citing concerns over their coverage. The outlets filed a lawsuit claiming the ban infringed on their constitutional free-speech rights. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on September 24, blocking enforcement of the ban and requiring the White House to restore the outlets’ press passes for two weeks. A final ruling is pending.
The New York Times reported that the Justice Department’s probe now includes ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News. The networks have not responded to requests for comment. On the day the pool suspended coverage, other outlets with photographers in the White House pool, such as Reuters, Getty Images, The New York Times and The Washington Post, agreed not to release photos taken on September 21 until after midnight the following day.