Major television networks plan to continue providing pool coverage of President Trump’s daily activities this week despite the White House’s ongoing efforts to block CNN from covering the president.
Each of the TV networks in the pool, including NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, plan to fulfill their pool duties on the days they are assigned this week, The Hill confirmed on Monday, even as CNN’s ability to serve as the designated TV pool crew remained in doubt.
The Background
The major networks for several days last week pulled out of pool coverage in solidarity with CNN after Trump banned the cable channel and two other outlets from the White House over what he said was its publishing of “fake news,” which he argued put national security at risk.
The three outlets — CNN, Politico, and MS NOW — sued over the ban and won last week, with a federal judge ruling the White House violated the media companies’ due process rights. Attorneys for the media companies said the ban also ran afoul of First Amendment protections.
Pool coverage of the president resumed last week after CNN and the two other outlets were let back onto the White House grounds, but tensions flared again over the weekend when CNN was blocked from covering Trump on Air Force One ahead of his trip to Tennessee.
The Current Situation
The TV networks, which initially blasted Trump over the ban, are assessing the TV pool situation on a day-by-day basis, a person familiar with the discussions said.
A White House schedule for TV pool rotation announced Sunday listed CNN as the primary pool provider for Thursday, when Trump is slated to travel to Texas and Oklahoma for rallies. Whether CNN will be allowed to serve in that role remains unclear.
The Bottom Line
Major TV networks are resuming pool coverage of President Trump despite the White House continuing to block CNN. The networks pulled out last week in solidarity with CNN after Trump banned the outlet and two others from the White House. A federal judge ruled the ban violated the media companies’ due process rights. Pool coverage resumed, but CNN was blocked again over the weekend. The networks are assessing the situation day by day. CNN is listed as the primary pool provider for Thursday.
My Opinion
The networks pulled out of pool coverage to stand with CNN. Then they came back. That is not a betrayal. It is a calculation. Pool coverage exists so the public can see the president. If the networks refuse to participate, the only people who suffer are the American people, who lose access to their own government. The White House would love nothing more than for the press to boycott itself out of relevance.
But the fight is not over. CNN is still being blocked. The White House is still picking and choosing which journalists get access. And a federal judge has already ruled that the ban violates due process and the First Amendment. The administration is not even pretending to follow the law anymore. It is daring the press to do something about it.
The networks are doing the right thing by covering the president. But they should not stop suing. And they should not stop calling out the hypocrisy of an administration that claims to defend free speech while punishing journalists for using it.
