Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 11: The US Justice Department has launched an investigation into five major television networks over a temporary refusal to provide pool coverage of President Donald Trump, examining whether their actions violated federal antitrust laws.
The investigation covers NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News, which form part of the White House television press pool. The Justice Department issued civil investigative demands to the networks on Friday, a department official said.
Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington said the investigation would determine whether the news organisations violated the Sherman Act, which prohibits certain anti-competitive practices, including unlawful group boycotts among commercial competitors.
The White House television press pool is a rotating arrangement under which participating networks share responsibility for recording the president’s public appearances and travel. The network assigned to pool duty distributes video footage, audio and other material to participating media outlets.
The investigation follows an escalating dispute between the Trump administration and news organisations over access to White House events. Last month, Trump barred CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House grounds, accusing them of publishing what he described as fake news.
Following CNN’s removal from the rotation, the other television networks briefly declined to undertake pool duties. However, individual networks, including NBC News, continued covering White House events that remained open to the press outside the pool system.
CNN, MS Now and Politico subsequently challenged the access restrictions in court, arguing that the ban violated the First Amendment. A judge ordered the administration to temporarily restore their access for 14 days, and a federal judge extended the order this week until Tuesday.
The five networks had issued a joint statement defending independent journalism, saying the public had a vital interest in receiving accurate information about the government and that no administration should restrict a news organisation because it disagreed with its reporting.
The pool system has operated for decades under administrations of both political parties. Its coverage is shared with subscribing outlets, including Newsmax, One America News Network, C-SPAN and international media organisations.
ABC News said it had not received notification from the Justice Department but expected to do so. Representatives of NBC, CBS and CNN declined to comment, while Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bruce D Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the First Amendment protects news organisations’ decisions about their coverage. He described the investigation as another attempt to intimidate journalists.