Major US television networks have halted pooled coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump, in a show of solidarity with CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations were barred from the White House.
The decision affects the White House television pool, a system in which major broadcasters rotate responsibility for filming presidential events and distribute the footage to other participating media organisations.
On Monday, September 21, 2026, the pool decided not to provide replacement camera coverage after CNN was removed from its scheduled assignment.
The decision means Trump’s planned events in New York, including his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, will not receive the usual pooled television feed.
Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who currently chairs the television pool, informed members that there would be no replacement for CNN’s scheduled assignment. The pool subsequently suspended television coverage for presidential events requiring shared pool footage.
The five major television networks involved in the rotation are ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News and CNN.
The dispute began on Friday, September 18, when Trump announced that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
Trump accused the organisations of repeatedly publishing what he called “fake news,” “fiction” and “lies” about him, his administration and the United States.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump did not identify one specific report as the reason for the ban. Instead, his comments pointed to what he described as a broader pattern of coverage by the three organisations. He also indicated that other news organisations could face similar restrictions.
The White House action took effect the following day, when journalists from the three organisations arrived at the White House and discovered that their access credentials had been deactivated.
Among the journalists denied entry were Betsy Klein of CNN, Akayla Gardner of MS NOW and Cheyenne Haslett of Politico. The three reporters had their White House press credentials deactivated or confiscated after arriving to cover the administration.
Klein and Gardner reported from outside the White House after they were turned away, while Politico confirmed that Haslett had also been denied access and had her badge confiscated.
The action did not simply affect the three reporters. The ban applied to journalists working for the three organisations who relied on White House credentials to cover the administration.
The White House Correspondents’ Association called for the outlets’ access to be restored.
Its president, Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, said the implications extended beyond the three organisations because a standard used to exclude one outlet over its coverage could potentially affect others.
“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power,” Heinrich said.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico escalated the dispute on Monday by announcing that they were filing a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The organisations said the White House revoked their journalists’ credentials because the administration objected to their reporting. In a joint statement, the three outlets said they were taking legal action to protect their First Amendment rights and the principle that the government should not determine what journalists report or publish.
They argued that the White House acted without notice or due process and that leaving the decision unchallenged could affect independent journalism. The lawsuit seeks to restore their access while the broader legal dispute continues.
The administration has defended Trump’s decision by arguing that the president does not have to provide White House access to news organisations whose coverage he considers false.
Trump said Friday that he believed the government could prevent outlets from entering if they continued publishing what he considered false stories.
The White House television pool normally allows one network to provide cameras and a live or recorded feed that other broadcasters can use. The networks rotate the responsibility, helping ensure that television coverage continues even when every organisation cannot independently send crews to every presidential event.
CNN was scheduled to handle the pool assignment during Trump’s trip to New York for the UN General Assembly.
After the White House excluded CNN, the pool could have assigned another network to replace it. Instead, the pool chose not to provide a replacement.
That means broadcasters will not receive the normal shared television images from the president’s scheduled pool events.
The decision does not mean ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News or other US media organisations have stopped covering Trump altogether. The dispute specifically concerns pooled television coverage of presidential events.
Individual networks and journalists can continue reporting on Trump’s administration through their own reporting, interviews, written stories and other available footage.
The absence of the shared pool feed, however, creates a major gap for live television coverage of events where the White House controls access and the networks normally rely on the rotating pool.
The situation was particularly notable on Monday because Trump was in New York for the UN General Assembly, one of the most prominent events on the presidential calendar.
The confrontation comes amid a broader dispute between Trump’s administration and several news organisations over access to government officials and facilities.
The administration has previously clashed with the Associated Press and other outlets over access, while Trump has repeatedly criticised media organisations whose coverage he considers unfavourable.
