The US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into several US television networks to determine whether they violated federal competition laws after suspending joint media coverage of President Donald Trump for several days.
Last month, five television networks temporarily suspended their coverage of the so-called press pool, following the Trump administration's decision to revoke the accreditation of journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico. In this system, selected journalists cover the president's activities and then share their materials with the rest of the media.
The Justice Department has asked ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News to turn over communications related to the decision. Authorities say the joint boycott could violate the Sherman Act, which prohibits monopolistic practices and agreements that restrict competition.
A Justice Department spokesman said the Antitrust Division is investigating whether the media organizations violated competition laws. The television networks have not yet commented publicly on the matter.
Trump had banned CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House last month, accusing the outlets of publishing “fiction or lies” about his administration. Their access was later restored after a court ruling.
All three media organizations had sued the Trump administration, arguing that restricting access violated their rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment prohibits the government from restricting freedom of the press and, according to court interpretations, prevents it from discriminating against media outlets based on the content of their reporting.
The Trump administration has taken several legal actions against the media in the US, including lawsuits related to reporting on the president.
In February, the White House announced that it would take control of the press pool organization, the group of journalists who have access to the president and which for more than a century had been administered by the White House Correspondents' Association.
That same month, the administration took steps to bar Associated Press reporters and photographers from restricted areas, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. The decision came after the agency continued to use the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of the Trump administration’s preferred “Gulf of America.”
The Associated Press filed a lawsuit against this decision, and the case remains in court.
