Several US-based news outlets, including MS NOW, CNN and Politico, on Monday said that they are filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration
to protect their first amendment rights after the announcement that they would be banned from the White House's building grounds. The media outlets said that they have notified President Donald Trump's administration that they're filing a lawsuit over being denied White House access. The three outlets said that are filing the lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia and could see emergency hearings in the case as soon as this week. The White House on Saturday denied access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. All three news outlets separately said their teams' press passes were confiscated on Saturday morning when their journalists went to the White House. They has earlier signalled that they may contest the ban on the grounds that it conflicts with the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press. A CNN statement on Saturday called the ban "an illegal assault" on its constitutional right to do journalism without interference from the government. In separate statements, MS NOW and Politico said they would "defend our First Amendment rights."
MS NOW said it intends to "take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy."
CNN and MS NOW said they would continue reporting on the Trump administration, and Politico said it stands by its reporters covering the White House.
What Trump Said On The Ban
Trump, on Friday, accused the outlets of "reporting FAKE NEWS" in social media post. Trump said that they "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States."
He added, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow."
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump answered a question about what he meant by other outlets by describing the New York Times and the Washington Post as examples of "fake news," although he did not specifically say he would ban them from the White House.
The New York Times in a statement called Trump's latest ban "yet another retaliatory and unconstitutional threat" and said the newspaper "stands in support of the news organizations being unfairly targeted by the president."
The Washington Post in a statement on Saturday said its access to the White House is a "non-negotiable constitutional right," and called the president's actions "a clear form of intimidation meant to silence coverage."
