A ‘ban on the free press’: White House bars journalists from three outlets

The White House denied access to reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico on Saturday morning. According to the outlets, their journalists' press passes were confiscated and deemed no longer valid. CNN reporter Betsy Klein and MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner described how they were unable to enter the White House grounds, with Klein saying a Secret Service agent told her her press pass had been deactivated, while Gardner was told the matter was "above" the security guard.

The ban was announced by US President Donald Trump on Friday, who accused the outlets of writing "fiction or lies" about his administration. The move was met with criticism from press freedom advocates, who called it "unconstitutional". CNN, MS NOW, and Politico denounced the ban as a violation of the US constitution and vowed to keep reporting on the US government. They are expected to take the bans to court to regain access to the White House.

MS NOW and CNN issued statements asserting their First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The White House referred to Trump's comments announcing the bans when reached for comment. The outlets' reporters were turned away at security checkpoints, with Gardner describing how her access badge did not work and was confiscated, while Klein said her badge had been deactivated.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia, Jerusalem Post, MyJoyOnline Ghana, IOL, Le Monde English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.