We may well look back on these press attacks as yet another step in our vanishing democracy.
On Friday, President Trump posted on social media that he was banning three major news organizations from the White House because of their coverage.
In his post, Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned “effective immediately,” accusing them of reporting what he called fake news. Later, he said, “There’s something wrong with a country that allows people to write purposely negative stories.”
At first, it was unclear what the ban meant. Reporters from all three organizations continued working at the White House Friday. But by Saturday morning, the ban was being enforced. MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner arrived for work, passed through two security checkpoints, then was told her White House press badge had been disabled and was asked to surrender it. Journalists from CNN and Politico were also denied access.
Presidents have always had considerable discretion over which reporters get interviews or access to small events. White House press credentials are different. They allow journalists to enter the grounds and work from the press facilities there, where reporters from competing organizations independently cover the presidency every day.
Previous attempts to revoke those credentials have been challenged successfully in federal court, including during Trump’s first term. This new ban is also likely to face a legal challenge.
Autocrats and dictators have often used this strategy to put pressure on journalists. Under Viktor Orbán in Hungary, for example, certain journalists were denied access to government press conferences and obstructed from questioning public officials.
Trump has been unusually explicit about his reason for doing this. He named three established news organizations, criticized their reporting, and said the ban should go “as far as you can.”
It is one thing for a president to favor friendly reporters or news outlets. But selectively barring recognized journalists from government facilities because of their coverage is different.
We may well look back on these press attacks as yet another step in our vanishing democracy.
