The mainstream media is so petty.
President Donald Trump’s ongoing showdown with some of America’s largest news organizations took another dramatic turn Thursday, even after CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained access to the White House.
While reporters from the three outlets were allowed back inside following a federal court order, the major television networks did not immediately resume their traditional pooled video coverage of Trump’s events.
That meant Americans watching television could see less of Trump’s high-profile meetings, including events involving Chinese President Xi Jinping.
CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter explained that the dispute over the White House television pool remained unresolved even after journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the grounds.
TV Networks Hold Back Trump Coverage
The White House television pool normally allows one network to record presidential events and share that footage with other broadcasters.
Five major networks — CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News — traditionally participate in the arrangement.
But according to Stelter, the networks were waiting for confirmation that CNN would be permitted to fulfill its future responsibilities in the rotating pool.
Until that assurance was provided, the television pool remained on hold.
The dispute had already disrupted coverage of Trump earlier in the week after the administration moved to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access.
Other television networks subsequently suspended their pool participation rather than simply taking CNN’s place. The Associated Press reported that the larger television pool halted coverage amid the dispute.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Media Ban
The legal fight changed course Thursday when U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary order requiring the Trump administration to restore access for the three news organizations.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico had sued the administration, arguing that the restrictions violated constitutional protections involving freedom of the press and due process.
The judge’s ruling temporarily restored their White House credentials while the broader lawsuit moves forward.
The outlets were initially denied entry Thursday despite the court order, but their access was restored later in the day.
The ruling is temporary and does not decide the entire lawsuit.
Fox News Joins CNN In Unusual Alliance
One of the more surprising developments has been the cooperation between networks that are usually fierce competitors.
During an appearance with CNN anchor Dana Bash, Stelter emphasized that other news organizations had supported CNN, MS NOW and Politico during the dispute.
He specifically described Fox News as an ally.
That cooperation is noteworthy because Fox News and CNN frequently approach political coverage from very different editorial perspectives.
In this case, however, the television networks have shared concerns about maintaining the traditional pool system and ensuring that individual networks can continue participating in the rotation.
Why Fox News Is Supporting CNN
Stelter suggested that the dispute involves more than the treatment of one particular network or one administration.
News organizations could be concerned about establishing a precedent that future presidents — Republican or Democratic — might use to exclude outlets whose coverage they dislike.
That puts Fox News in an unusual position alongside CNN and other networks defending the longstanding system governing presidential television coverage.
For viewers accustomed to seeing CNN and Fox News battling over nearly every major political story, their cooperation in this case stands out.
Trump Has Long Battled The National Media
Trump’s difficult relationship with major news organizations goes back years.
He has frequently accused CNN and other outlets of biased or inaccurate reporting and has repeatedly criticized what he calls the “fake news” media.
The White House defended its latest restrictions while Trump accused the affected outlets of spreading false information.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico rejected that characterization and challenged the administration’s actions in federal court.
Their lawsuit argues that the government cannot revoke White House access simply because officials disagree with an outlet’s reporting.
The Trump administration has defended its authority over access to presidential events.
Those competing arguments are now at the center of the court battle.
What Is The White House TV Pool?
The television pool plays an important role because space around the president is often limited.
Instead of allowing camera crews from every major network into every event, one network records the event and distributes the footage to the others.
The responsibility rotates between participating networks.
This system has allowed television stations across the country to show presidential appearances without placing dozens of additional cameras inside secure or crowded locations.
CNN’s removal from scheduled pool responsibilities disrupted that arrangement, and other participating networks responded by withholding their own participation. Reuters reported that the dispute interfered with the television pool after CNN was prevented from carrying out scheduled coverage.
Trump And Xi Meeting Draws Attention
The timing of the standoff made the dispute particularly noticeable because Trump was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meetings between American and Chinese leaders normally attract extensive national and international media attention.
Without the usual television pool operating normally, viewers had less access to traditional network footage from some of the events surrounding the visit.
The disagreement therefore moved beyond a fight between Trump and individual media companies and began affecting how presidential events were distributed to television audiences.
Legal Battle Is Far From Over
Judge Kelly’s temporary order restored access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, but it did not settle the larger constitutional dispute.
The lawsuit could ultimately address important questions about presidential authority, White House press credentials and how far an administration can go when restricting access to news organizations.
For now, journalists from the three outlets are once again inside the White House.
The separate fight over television-pool participation, however, shows that the conflict between Trump and the national media is far from finished.
And the sight of CNN and Fox News standing together on the same side of a White House press dispute may be one of the most unexpected developments yet.
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