US justice dept probes TV networks over pool coverage

The US Department of Justice is probing five television networks for allegedly suspending their pool coverage of President Donald Trump. This follows the president's previous attacks on the media, calling them the "enemy of the people." CNN, MSNBC, and Politico had their White House access revoked last month for distributing what Trump termed "fake news" and "fiction."

The five major US broadcasters subsequently halted pool coverage of the White House for several days in solidarity with the suspended networks. The Justice Department contacted the networks on Friday, demanding communications and materials related to the White House TV pool. The networks, comprising ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News, had effectively boycotted covering White House events.

The Antitrust Division of the Justice Department is investigating the incident to determine if the news organizations violated antitrust laws. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, believes the probe is a pretext to seek records about how the networks are covering White House events during the president's imposed ban.

The networks have challenged the suspension in court, arguing that their coverage decisions are protected by the First Amendment.