US Justice Department probes TV networks over pool coverage: Reports
Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said that the five networks - ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News - had "boycotted covering White House events".
The US Department of Justice is investigating five television networks - ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News - over their decision to boycott covering White House events. According to Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington, the networks had briefly suspended their pool coverage of President Donald Trump in solidarity with CNN, which had been barred from the White House by the Trump administration.
The investigation is focused on whether the networks' actions violated federal antitrust laws, specifically the Sherman Act, which prohibits group boycotts among commercial competitors. Covington stated that the Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organisations have violated the antitrust laws.
The probe comes after weeks of tension between the White House and the press, with President Trump repeatedly clashing with reporters and calling the mainstream media "fake news". The Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director of the Americas, Jose Zamora, criticized the administration's decision to investigate, saying that the government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access.
Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia, Free Malaysia Today, New Straits Times, DW English (Top Stories), DW News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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