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Justice Department investigating major TV networks over suspending pool coverage of Trump
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The Justice Department is investigating five major TV networks—NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and Fox News—for potentially violating federal antitrust laws after they temporarily boycotted providing pool coverage of President Trump.
- The investigation focuses on whether the networks' group boycott of White House coverage violated the Sherman Act, with the department issuing civil investigative demands to the networks.
- The boycott followed the White House barring CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from press access, which led other pool members to decline participation in the pool rotation in protest.
- The networks and press freedom advocates argue the investigation is an intimidation tactic against journalists and emphasize the importance of independent news coverage protected by the First Amendment.
- Despite the boycott, individual networks continued to cover White House events open to the press, and the pool system remains a long-standing method for sharing presidential coverage among media outlets.
