President Donald Trump's effort to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House produced an immediate consequence Monday: the independent television pool stopped covering designated presidential events, leaving Trump's remarks at a new White House helipad largely inaudible over the sound of a helicopter. The episode came the same day the administration promoted its own digital stream, "TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station."
The breakdown followed the White House's decision to prevent CNN from performing its scheduled turn in the five-network television pool. ABC News, CBS News, Fox News and NBC News declined to replace CNN, suspending a longstanding arrangement that provides shared video and audio of presidential events when individual news organizations can't bring their own crews.
"Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President," Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who chairs the rotating pool, wrote to subscribers. "This follows the White House's position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place."
The five networks also issued a joint statement defending independent coverage. "The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," Fox, ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC said.
The practical effect became visible at the White House's new helipad Monday. With no regular television-pool crew covering the ribbon-cutting, available footage failed to provide the clean audio normally captured by professional pool equipment, and helicopter noise overwhelmed much of what Trump said. The White House distributed its own video of the event, while C-SPAN lacked the independent pool feed it ordinarily relies on.
The suspension doesn't mean television networks have stopped covering Trump altogether. It applies to presidential events designated for pooled television coverage, while the networks can continue covering events where their own cameras are permitted and other pool arrangements remain in operation.
The television pool exists because many presidential settings don't have enough space for every broadcaster to send a camera crew. CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC normally rotate responsibility, with the network on duty supplying video and audio to the rest of the press corps and other organizations around the world.
The dispute began Friday when Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from White House grounds, accusing them of reporting "FICTION and LIES." Reporters from the three organizations subsequently lost access, and the outlets sued the administration Monday, alleging violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.
The White House has defended the restrictions, arguing that access to its grounds is "a privilege - not a right." Trump has said his action targets what he calls "FAKE NEWS," rather than the free press generally. The three news organizations contend that the government revoked access because it objected to their coverage.
Their lawsuit asks a federal court in Washington to issue a temporary restraining order restoring access while the litigation proceeds. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, Sept. 23. Kelly previously handled litigation over the Trump White House's 2018 suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's credential.
Reuters reported Tuesday that four legal experts said the administration could encounter constitutional problems if a court determines that the outlets were excluded because officials disliked their reporting. That assessment is legal analysis rather than a ruling, and the administration will have an opportunity to defend its position in court.
Running alongside that confrontation is a new White House-controlled video operation. The administration on Monday posted "TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station" on its official website and promoted "Trump TV is Here," with White House materials describing an administration-curated stream of presidential appearances and other content.
