Judge halts White House ban from CNN, MS NOW and Politico

The US government must initially grant journalists from CNN, MS NOW and the news portal Politico access to the White House again. Judge Timothy Kelly said the revocation of the press credentials of the journalists concerned was carried out without a constitutionally appropriate procedure. The general rule is that “individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of a constitutionally protected interest.”

The judge lifted the exclusion of the media for an initial period of 14 days. Such orders typically serve to maintain the status quo until the court has examined the case in more detail.

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would no longer allow the three media outlets entry. He accused them of spreading fake news - an accusation he repeatedly makes against media outlets that report critically about him or government policy. On Saturday, journalists Betsy Klein and Akayla Gardner reported live on CNN and MS NOW that they had been turned away from the White House and their access badges were deactivated. Politico later announced that its correspondent Cheyenne Haslett was also affected.

The media then filed a lawsuit against the US government. They rely on the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of opinion, speech and the press. The reason for the government's action was "objections to our reports." If this goes unchallenged, the public's right to independent journalism will be threatened.

Trump threatens to exclude the New York Times and Washington Post

The US President recently threatened to deny access to journalists from the New York Times and Washington Post. "I don't have to let them into my house, into the house of the American people," said Trump.

This is not the first time that Trump has banned media from the White House. AP journalists were denied access because they refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” as Trump ordered.