CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue White House over reporting ban

MS NOW, CNN and Politico have sued the United States federal government over a White House ban that stopped their journalists from reporting inside the building.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the federal trial court in Washington. It names a newsgathering ban ordered by President Donald Trump and says the case was brought to protect First Amendment rights, meaning the constitutional protection for a free press, according to Variety.

The three news organisations allege the White House revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting. They are asking the court to block any further bans and to order the immediate restoration of credentials for access to the White House grounds.

The ban was announced over coverage President Trump deemed unfair, as reported in a live account from The New York Times. Journalists from the three outlets were then denied entry to the White House on 19 September 2026.

Their workspaces sat empty after the ban. That detail was reported by NBC News, which said MS NOW journalists were turned away after Mr Trump announced the decision.

CNN also lost its TV pool assignment as part of the action, according to CNN. A pool assignment is the small rotating group whose pictures and reports are shared with other broadcasters. Losing it cuts a channel out of close-up coverage of presidential events.

President Trump’s UN ambassador publicly defended the ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, according to CNN.

For viewers, this means fewer cameras and reporters inside the building for now. The court has been asked to decide whether the credentials must be returned and whether similar bans can be imposed again.