The U.S. Department of Justice has informed five major TV news outlets—CNN, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, and Fox News—that it is investigating whether their suspension of White House press pool coverage following President Trump’s denial of access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico violated antitrust laws. A Justice Department spokesperson stated that group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act, and the Antitrust Division is determining if the networks broke antitrust rules. The probe was communicated to the networks on Friday, though the DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The networks declined to comment or did not respond. Legal experts question the DOJ’s standing, as the TV networks have coordinated pool coverage for decades without prior legal challenge. The suspension was a protest against Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House newsgathering, which those outlets challenged in court in late September.
A federal judge has since issued a temporary block on the ban, but the case remains in litigation. Pool coverage, which includes wire services, newspapers, and magazines, ensures equal access to video, audio, and transcripts of government events for the public record. NBC News recently took over coordination of the pool from Fox News as part of a rotating schedule that changes every three months.
Source: Wall Street Journal US Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing