White House vs. Free Press

Three news outlets are suing the Trump administration after the president barred them from the White House and took their credentials. 

It started last Friday when the president lashed out at CNN, MS NOW and Politico over their coverage of him, announcing on Truth Social that he was banning them from the White House as “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” And he suggested that other outlets could be next. 

The lawsuit filed by three news organizations argue it’s a First Amendment issue and that the government doesn’t get to decide what the press covers. And in solidarity, the major TV networks stopped covering the president’s events this week.  

This isn’t the first time that President Trump has gone after the press. In his first term, he pulled CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials, which a judge overturned. He has also gone after the Associated Press when they refused to use the name “Gulf of America,” filed defamation lawsuits against  The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and had the Department of Justice target journalists’ for their phone and email records.  

Today, we’ll talk about the First Amendment fight for press freedom and what it means for our democracy. 

Guests: 

• William Creeley, legal director of FIRE
• Amy Kristin Sanders, professor of First Amendment Studies at Penn State University