On Saturday morning, journalists from CNN and MS NOW were denied access to the White House grounds following a ban announced by President Donald Trump on Friday. The ban was imposed due to coverage that Trump deemed unfavorable or fake news. Both networks issued statements supporting their reporters and emphasizing the importance of independent journalism and First Amendment rights.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 25, US TV networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s events at the White House after a judge ordered the administration to lift its ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The ban was imposed last week due to what Trump described as unfavorable press coverage. Despite the reinstatement, tensions remain high; the networks ceased filming White House events in solidarity with banned outlets earlier in the week, resulting in no pool footage during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit on September 24-25. The court battle continues, and CNN was barred from traveling with Trump to Tennessee for a weekend trip, though reasons were not officially provided by the administration.
Written for “White House Press Access Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 182 other(s) covering the same event.
CNN, MS NOW say journalists denied access to White House grounds after Trump's ban
Politico also included in White House restrictions announced by U.S. president Friday
Two major news networks' journalists said they were denied access to the White House on Saturday morning, with reporters from CNN and MS NOW both going live to report about the circumstances of the ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The actions escalated Trump's long-running efforts to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable and is the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States.
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he → say → States
Trump said on Friday he would ban both organizations and Politico because of their coverage.
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he → say → coverage
CNN issued a statement saying it stood behind its reporters.
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it → issue → reporters
"We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account," it said.
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it → deflect → account
The statement was shown on the air before senior White House reporter Betsy Klein began to report on her ban.
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Klein → show → ban
MS NOW, which until last November was called MSNBC, also said it stands behind its journalists.
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it → call → journalists
"The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars," the network said in a statement on Saturday.
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network → belong → Saturday
"MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy."
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NOW → intend → democracy
Trump said on Friday that he was barring the news channel, along with CNN and Politico, from the White House due to what he called unfavourable coverage and "fake news."
Politico journalists are typically not at the White House on Saturdays.
MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner was turned away and her entry badge was confiscated, she said on air Saturday morning.
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she → say → air
Gardner said she had walked through two gates successfully, but once she got to where her badge needed to be scanned, an officer told her it was disabled and asked her to hand it over.
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it → say → it
He said the decision "was above him," she reported.
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she → say → him
An MS NOW producer was able to get in, but a photographer's badge was also disabled, Gardner said.
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Gardner → get → ?
Trump calls news outlets 'fake news'
The president wrote on his social media site on Friday that effective immediately, "I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting' FAKE NEWS!"
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I → call → reporting
Minutes later, speaking at an event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked to explain his statement.
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Trump → speak → statement
"Because they're fake news," he said.
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he → say → ?
"You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news.
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You → get → news
When you look at CNN, it's just fake.
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it → look → CNN
When you look at MS NOW ... it's fake news.
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it → look → NOW
"And when you look at Politico ... the stories they wrote are fake.
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they → look → Politico
So there's a lot of news and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better," he said.
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he → be → them
"But our country has to have honest news."
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country → have → news
'Quiet, piggy': As Trump berates female reporters, what's the breaking point?
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point → berate → reporters
Judge throws out Trump's $15B US lawsuit against the New York Times
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Judge → throw → Times
In his second term, Trump and his administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets, both in the courtroom and through regulatory action.
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Trump → up → action
Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms.
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Trump → lash → terms
The move follows the president's decision last year to bar Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other events in retaliation for the news outlet's decision not to follow his lead in changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, which lies partially in Mexican and other waters.
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which → follow → waters
The AP said that it would note when appropriate that Trump had ordered it renamed the "Gulf of America."
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it → say → America
The Aporia
