{"id":605404,"date":"2026-09-19T15:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T15:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/605404\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T15:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T15:10:11","slug":"trump-calls-media-ban-from-the-white-house-ban-on-the-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/605404\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump calls media ban from the White House \u2018ban on the free press\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey\u2019re very dishonest people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Jacqui Heinrich, senior White House correspondent for Fox News and president of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association (WHCA), has slammed the ban, saying it goes against the US Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the President likes a news organisation\u2019s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask,\u201d Heinrich said in a statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation\u2019s highest office.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a \u201cban on the free press.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 WHCA (@whca) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump today said he is banning news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing them without specifics of reporting \u201cfiction and lies\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump added that \u201cother Fake News Media Outlets [are] to follow\u201d but did not say which.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant \u2018reporting\u2019 FAKE NEWS!\u201d Trump said on his Truth Social network.<\/p>\n

Trump did not say what had prompted the ban but added that \u201cmedia Outlets shouldn\u2019t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they\u2019re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America\u201d.<\/p>\n

It is extremely rare for US Presidents to bar news outlets from the White House altogether, although Trump banned a CNN reporter in his first term and Richard Nixon put restrictions on the Washington Post for its reporting on the Watergate scandal.<\/p>\n

But Trump\u2019s second administration has put stricter controls on reporters, including taking control of which journalists can cover events as part of the \u201cpool\u201d admitted to tight spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.<\/p>\n

Last year Trump barred the Associated Press from some events because of the news agency\u2019s decision to continue referring to the \u201cGulf of Mexico\u201d \u2013 and not the \u201cGulf of America\u201d as decreed by Trump.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s decision to ban certain media outlets has been met with widespread criticism, with many people, including law experts, describing it as an assault on the free press.<\/p>\n

Trump just reaffirmed his intention to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House. Such a move would be an assault on long-honored principles of a free press. I have often joined in the criticism over the bias of these outlets, but barring disfavored media from the White\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called the ban \u201cflatly unconstitutional\u201d, while multiple US politicians have also criticised the ban and called on the Republican Party to protect freedom of press.<\/p>\n

A shameful, cowardly, and undemocratic move from a fascist administration that is attacking the free press to avoid accountability.<\/p>\n

Press credentials for these news outlets must be immediately reinstated. https:\/\/t.co\/2TOhHXzFlS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m done being shocked at anything this president does to tear down our Constitution. But GOP, when will YOU stand up for freedom of the press, free speech and democracy and stop kowtowing to this destructive maniac?https:\/\/t.co\/GLrmiGLkIP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Press freedom is a right protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which states: \u201cCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.\u201d<\/p>\n

My fellow Americans: Please direct your attention to this matter for just a moment. Allow this to sink in. The President of the United States of America just said he wants to ban the free press. He said he doesn\u2019t want them in his office, which by the way is the Oval Office in\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KqLflDf9Ep<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2013 Additional reporting by AFP<\/p>\n

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