The U. S. Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into why the White House television press pool stopped covering President Donald Trump. The goal? To see if their decision broke the Sherman Act, a law that goes after agreements that unfairly limit competition.
Included in this press pool are big hitters like CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC. They all stopped their coverage on September 21. Why? Because Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House access. Trump took to Truth Social to accuse these outlets of spreading lies about his administration.
This led to legal action. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for blocking their reporters. Even after a judge lifted the restrictions on September 24, reporters from CNN and Politico were still not allowed on Air Force One.
The Sherman Act, which dates back to the 1890s, is rarely applied to media organizations, especially concerning their coverage choices. So, the DOJ's investigation is a big step in the ongoing fight between Trump and the media over press freedoms.
In recent years, Trump's administration has tried to curb the power of media outlets critical of him. Last year, Trump wanted to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports NPR and PBS. Trump and his allies have also taken legal action against several media organizations like The New York Times and BBC News, accusing them of bias and inaccuracies.
Seth Stern, who heads advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, slammed the DOJ's investigation as "nonsense." He said denying Trump media coverage doesn't cause competitive harm and noted that antitrust law usually makes exceptions for the First Amendment, even if there's an anticompetitive impact.
The White House Correspondents' Association hasn't commented yet. Meanwhile, TV pool coverage of the White House has resumed, hinting at a temporary fix to the standoff.
This investigation adds yet another layer to the rocky relationship between Trump and the media, spotlighting ongoing clashes over press access and freedom. As the DOJ digs deeper, the outcome could have serious effects on how media organizations cover the presidency.
