Trump, new attack against the media: investigation into 5 networks for lack of coverage

The US Department of Justice is investigating major American television networks to ascertain whether they violated antitrust laws by temporarily interrupting joint coverage of Donald Trump's activities. This was announced by Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington, explaining that it is being investigated for a potential violation of federal antitrust laws. The investigation concerns the pool of television journalists accredited to the White House from CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News.

Covington: "Group boycotts among commercial competitors may violate the Sherman Act"

"Members of the television news pool have boycotted coverage of White House events. Group boycotts among commercial competitors may violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated antitrust laws," Covington said.

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Coverage interrupted after ban on access to CNN

The networks were contacted to request communications relating to the White House television 'pool'. The networks all suspended coverage for the pool last month after Trump banned CNN from the White House, preventing it from participating in the pool. The pool is a group of rotating networks that share the task of recording the president's activities during public appearances and trips and then distributes the information and multimedia content, such as video and audio footage, to other media outlets.