Judge orders White House to restore access to barred media companies

The White House has maintained its ban on journalists from three media outlets, CNN, MSN, and Politico, despite a federal judge's order to restore their press passes. District Court of Washington Judge had instructed the White House to "immediately return, reinstate, and restore" the press credentials of these outlets. The injunction is a temporary order while the legal proceedings continue.

Last week, major US television networks suspended their pooled coverage of President Donald Trump following the White House's denial of access to the three media outlets. President Trump alleged that the outlets were deliberately publishing unfavorable news about his administration. In court, the lawyers argued that the restriction was essential for the protection of national security.

On Monday, the media outlets filed a lawsuit against the administration. The judge ruled that the media outlets were likely to win their claim that the ban violated their First Amendment rights under the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press. The judge also determined that the White House had not adequately informed the outlets about the ban.

However, Politico and MSN reported on Thursday morning that their reporters were denied entry to the White House. Neither the White House nor the outlets issued an immediate response.

This development marks a further intensification in the contentious relationship between President Trump and the media. President Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday for a reciprocal state visit. It remains uncertain whether the pool media will proceed with its operations as usual.

President Trump has a history of criticizing news organizations for coverage he perceives to be unfavorable to his administration, labeling them as "fake news". Last year, he barred the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other areas due to the news agency's assertion that it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, instead of conforming to the change to the Gulf of America following an executive order by Trump.