A federal judge ordered US President Donald Trump on Thursday to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely unconstitutional.
In a major setback for Trump in one of his biggest battles with the media, US District Judge Tim Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit that the news organisations filed contesting the ban that the Republican president announced on September 18.
Read more Trump bans media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES", and Justice Department lawyers had sought to justify the ban on national security grounds.
'Trump TV'
Journalists for the three news organisations were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated in the latest flare-up of the 80-year-old Republican president's years-long assault on the mainstream US media.
In a previous case involving CNN during Trump's first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore the White House access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.
In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said on Monday that they were halting pool coverage of the White House – where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day – in solidarity with CNN.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.
The White House Correspondents' Association and nearly 50 news organisations also filed a brief with the court calling for the bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico to be reversed.
Read more Top TV networks – including Fox – revolt in solidarity with media banned by Trump
On Tuesday, Trump appeared to suggest that CNN should not be covering him outside of the White House too.
"I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn't be here," Trump told a CNN reporter at the UN General Assembly in New York.
On Monday evening, the White House launched a streaming channel, "Trump TV," which it said would show "top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time".
The billionaire former reality TV star has long attacked media outlets that have aired critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly blasting the press as the "enemy of the people".
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)
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