Three US Media Outlets Sue Trump After White House Press Access Revoked
Three United States media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, have initiated a lawsuit against President Donald Trump. The lawsuit was filed following the revocation of their press access to the White House by the Trump administration.
“This ban constitutes a direct attack on the First Amendment and a blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” stated the lawsuit from the three US media organisations, as reported by AFP on Tuesday (22/09/2026).
The lawsuit was filed today local time. Trump has reportedly prohibited journalists from these three outlets from covering the White House since Saturday (19/09).
Shortly after the legal action by CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, five major US broadcasting networks announced they would cease joint coverage at the White House in a show of solidarity with CNN.
CNN was scheduled to be on duty on Monday as the provider for the White House TV joint broadcast. This assignment operates on a rotational basis, where one broadcasting network handles filming on behalf of all television networks for that day.
“The public has a vital interest in obtaining accurate and independent information regarding its government. No government should be permitted to restrict news organisations simply because it dislikes their reporting,” stated a joint declaration from ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC.
This boycott means there will be no joint coverage regarding Trump’s trip to the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday (21/09) US time, where he is scheduled to meet with several world leaders.
Trump himself has spoken out after announcing the revocation of press access for CNN, MSNBC, and Politico. On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump argued that he is not attacking press freedom.
“The White House is not conducting an attack on Press Freedom, something that I hold in high regard,” Trump stated.
He justified the revocation of access for the three media outlets by citing allegations of spreading fake news. Trump described media outlets that spread hoaxes as being like a cancer.
“What is being done is an attack on FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like a cancer in our beloved country, the United States.”