Trump bars CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House

President Donald Trump has decided to bar three media organisations, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, from entering the White House. Trump says the three organisations are printing fake, false and imaginary information about his administration. He has also hinted that similar action could be taken against more media organisations in future.

The decision has triggered a sharp debate in the United States. Many say that such curbs on media freedom do not befit a democratic country like the United States. Several also believe this could cost the United States its standing to speak about media freedom before other countries. However, how much this affects or pressures Trump will only become clear with time.

On the question of what Trump's real objection is, it is said that most media in the United States is influenced by a pro-Israel lobby, but several media organisations have also openly carried out investigative journalism and questioned the government. Even if the president has stopped one or two media organisations from entering the White House, it remains unlikely that the president would stop holding press conferences altogether in the United States. The public and the media there keep up constant pressure on the government and keep criticising it. Even though capitalism openly dominates politics in the United States, every citizen is still given importance there, and this has been the country's political, social and cultural fabric.

Trump has said that the media organisations that have been banned are continuously running negative stories against his administration. Speaking to reporters, he also targeted The New York Times and The Washington Post, and indicated the possibility of action against more media organisations.

CNN, opposing Trump's decision, has said that its White House team's reporting is fair and accurate. According to CNN, the right to practise journalism without government interference is protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Politico has also said it will continue its reporting and will pursue legal recourse to protect its rights under the First Amendment.

The matter is no longer limited to one media organisation's access, but has become tied to the relationship between the press and the government. Legal experts and press freedom organisations have questioned whether the government can block a media organisation's access because of its reporting. The 1977 Sherrill v. Knight case is being cited in particular in this debate.