ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox Suspend Trump Pool Coverage After CNN Ban

Donald Trump apparently thought he could remove news organizations from the White House without the rest of the press corps making it his problem. For once, the major television networks have decided not to play along.

ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News have joined CNN in suspending shared television pool coverage of Trump after his administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. The three organizations have also filed a federal lawsuit accusing the administration of violating the First and Fifth Amendments.

CNN had been scheduled to provide Monday’s pool camera crew. When the White House prevented the network from performing that duty, the other networks declined to replace it.

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,” the five networks said in a joint statement “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

The White House television pool exists because every news organization cannot squeeze into the Oval Office or travel aboard Air Force One. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC rotate responsibility for recording the president, then distribute the footage to television stations and other outlets around the world. Without a replacement crew, there will be no shared television coverage of events designated for the presidential pool.

Yes, Fox News joined the protest. That may be the most surprising part, but there is precedent. In 2009, Barack Obama’s administration attempted to exclude Fox from a Treasury Department interview. The other networks refused to participate unless Fox was admitted, and the administration backed down.

Solidarity is exactly how this is supposed to work. If the government can punish CNN because Trump dislikes its reporting, it can eventually punish any outlet that asks an inconvenient question. Even Fox understands that a power created against its rivals could later be used against Fox.

Still, no one should start handing these networks medals for courage. For years, much of corporate television treated Trump’s extremism as irresistible content. His cruelty generated ratings, his lies became panel discussions, and his increasingly authoritarian threats were repeatedly translated into ordinary political strategy. Now that his retaliation directly affects their access, they have suddenly discovered collective action.

Better late than never, but they are extraordinarily late. There is also a practical miscalculation by Trump. Pool coverage gives the White House immediate footage and allows the administration to promote its preferred message. By attacking one network, Trump has jeopardized the system that keeps television cameras following him everywhere.

Trump insists this is not an attack on the free press because he is targeting what he calls “fake news.” That defence amounts to claiming press freedom applies only to journalists who please the president—which is precisely why the networks had to draw this line.

The stand is welcome. We should also remember how much damage was done before they finally found it.