NEW DELHI (SHABD): Major US media outlets, including CNN, MS NOW and Politico, have filed a legal challenge against US President Donald Trump’s order barring them from the White House grounds.
In a joint statement on Monday, the media organisations said they were pursuing legal action to “defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports.”
The outlets filed the lawsuit on Monday in the US District Court in Washington, asking a judge to rule quickly that Trump’s ban is unconstitutional and prevent his aides from enforcing it.
Related Trump bans CNN, MS NOW, Politico over ‘fake news’
The media organisations said their credentials were revoked “without notice or process” following objections to their reporting. They argued that the move threatens press freedom and independent journalism.
The outlets later announced that they would suspend their White House pooled coverage of Trump as he heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump later responded to the lawsuit, insisting that his ban did not amount to “instituting an assault on the Free Press” but was instead aimed at addressing “national security” threats.
Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the organisations of publishing “fiction or lies” about his team. The companies said their reporters were denied access to the White House building on Saturday.
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