By Lucretia Hughes Klucken
WASHINGTON — Major television networks are resuming pooled coverage of President Donald Trump after a weeklong protest over the White House’s treatment of CNN, effectively ending a media standoff that had sharply reduced traditional television coverage of the president.
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC had suspended the White House television pool after the Trump administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds. The networks said the public had a right to independent coverage and argued that an administration should not exclude a news organization because it objects to its reporting. The Washington Post
The protest produced an unusual television blackout during several presidential events. Major networks declined to provide normal pooled video while Trump traveled to the United Nations and hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping. Other outlets, including Newsmax, NewsNation, One America News and Right Side Broadcasting Network, were among organizations with camera crews covering portions of Trump’s activities during the dispute. The Washington Post
But the boycott did not last.
Network executives decided over the weekend to resume pooled television coverage even though the White House again prevented CNN from participating in its scheduled pool assignment, according to people familiar with the deliberations cited by The New York Times. Inquirer.com
The decision represents a significant shift from the networks’ position only days earlier.
The dispute began Sept. 18 when Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the organizations of publishing what he called “fake news.” The three organizations challenged the decision in federal court, arguing that the administration was retaliating against them because of their journalism. CBS News
A federal judge subsequently ordered the White House to temporarily restore the organizations’ access. The ruling returned their White House hard passes but did not explicitly require the administration to place CNN back into the smaller television pool used for locations such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. Inquirer.com
That distinction quickly became important.
Pooled coverage briefly resumed Friday, and CNN was permitted to handle coverage of an event involving Trump and Xi at the National Archives. Hours later, however, the White House blocked CNN from serving as the television pooler for Trump’s Saturday trip to Tennessee. The other networks declined to send a substitute crew. The Washington Post
By Sunday, the networks were preparing to change course.
Under the tentative arrangement reported by The New York Times, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC would again perform their normal pool responsibilities. When CNN’s turn arrives in the rotation, the networks can decide whether another network will substitute. If they decline, that particular assignment could go uncovered by the major-network pool. Inquirer.com
Network executives reportedly confronted a practical problem: A prolonged boycott could leave the country without independent major-network camera coverage if a national emergency, military development or other major presidential event occurred.
CNN’s court fight could also continue for months.
The networks therefore faced a choice between continuing their protest and maintaining independent television coverage of the president.
They chose to resume coverage.
Meanwhile, the White House demonstrated during the dispute that traditional networks are no longer the only organizations capable of delivering presidential events directly to viewers.
The administration promoted Trump TV, its own 24-hour online video channel, as the network boycott unfolded. The White House also continued streaming presidential events directly through its own platforms. The Wall Street Journal
Conservative and alternative media organizations continued showing up as well.
When major networks declined to provide normal video coverage during Xi’s visit, crews from NewsNation, Newsmax, Right Side Broadcasting Network, One America News and LindellTV were present at Joint Base Andrews, according to Associated Press reporting. The Washington Post
That development exposed a vulnerability in the networks’ strategy.
The traditional television pool was created because presidential coverage is expensive and logistically difficult. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC rotate responsibility for providing footage and then share that video with one another and other organizations around the world. The Wall Street Journal
Stopping the pool reduced independent television footage, but it did not prevent the president from communicating with the public.
The White House could distribute its own video.
Alternative outlets could provide coverage.
And viewers could increasingly obtain presidential remarks without relying exclusively on the traditional broadcast networks.
That does not settle the larger constitutional dispute.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico maintain that excluding journalists because the president objects to their reporting violates First Amendment protections. The Trump administration disputes that characterization and says it is challenging what the president considers dishonest reporting rather than attacking press freedom. That legal question remains before the courts. People.com
The networks also maintain that their temporary suspension was about protecting independent journalism, not attempting to prevent Americans from hearing from the president.
But the practical outcome is now clear.
The major television networks stopped pooled coverage to protest CNN’s exclusion.
The White House did not permanently restore CNN to its traditional position in the pool.
Alternative media continued covering presidential events.
The administration expanded its own direct broadcasting operation.
And the networks are returning.
The episode could ultimately have consequences extending well beyond this week’s confrontation.
For decades, presidents needed the major television networks to reach tens of millions of Americans quickly. Digital platforms, streaming services, independent outlets and direct government broadcasting have dramatically changed that relationship.
The White House press corps still plays an important role in independently questioning and documenting the presidency.
But the battle over CNN has demonstrated something else:
Traditional media organizations can refuse to carry the president.
They can no longer assume Americans will have nowhere else to watch.
Original article
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