LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The country's biggest news organizations are banding together to protest President Trump's attacks on journalists.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Yeah. Media outlets, including The New York Times and Fox News, are suspending their use of what's called pool audio, video and photographs of the president. That's where a small group of reporters follows the president around. NPR is a leader in the radio pool and will not use audio from White House events until further notice. Here's what they're all responding to. Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from entering the White House because the president didn't like what they reported. Those news organizations have sued. Coming up, we'll speak with CNN's former White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who President Trump tried and failed to keep out of the White House during his first term. We begin with the latest news.
FADEL: NPR's Brian Mann is following the developments and joins me now. Good morning, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So this expanded fast yesterday. What happened?
MANN: Well, really something we haven't seen before. You know, Trump's worked throughout his second term to pressure news organizations. He's used lawsuits and the power of regulatory agencies to threaten media companies when he doesn't like their coverage or their portrayals of him. But his latest move - blocking White House access for journalists from these three major news organizations - it triggered a very different, more unified response.
First, we saw five major TV networks that provide that pool coverage Steve mentioned of Trump - they all announced they're suspending shared efforts as a protest against Trump's action. This decision to push back against the White House was made in part by Bryan Boughton, who chairs the TV pool. And he announced the boycott in an email to pool video subscribers. Boughton is the Washington bureau chief of Fox News, an outlet that's often been perceived as friendly to Trump. Here's how Fox News reported on the network's joint decision.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Now, the White House television pool, which includes Fox News, releasing a joint statement - it reads the following - "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," end quote.
MANN: Now, Leila, that protest then expanded through the day on Monday as other organizations, including The New York Times, NPR and The Washington Post, announced they, too, were suspending use of shared pool photographs and audio. It's unclear how long this will last, but we did see it play out at one Trump event yesterday. There was a ribbon-cutting for the new White House helipad, and you couldn't hear what the president was saying.
FADEL: Yeah. I saw that. He was definitely talking, but we didn't hear anything that he said. What's Trump saying about the media's response?
MANN: Well, he really doubled down yesterday. Writing on his Truth Social platform, he called CNN, MS NOW and Politico dangerous and a threat to democracy. In a statement sent to NPR, the White House argued that media access is a privilege for journalists, not a right. Then during an appearance in New York City with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, he mocked the media protest. He said, they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn't very worried about that. Then late yesterday, Trump and the White House announced they're launching their own 24/7 video stream. They're calling it Trump TV.
FADEL: A lawsuit was filed yesterday aimed at overturning Trump's ban. Where does that stand?
MANN: Yeah. So in their legal filing in federal court, these news organizations that are blocked from the White House called Trump's action an unprecedented attack on press freedoms in the First Amendment. That case is going to be heard by Judge Timothy Kelly, who heard a previous case in 2018 where the White House rescinded press access for a CNN report, where the judge sided with CNN in that case. Media organizations are asking him to do much the same, and there's a hearing expected on Wednesday.
This is all happening, of course, with the midterm elections just over 40 days away. And many of Trump's Republican allies have urged him to focus on issues like the economy, inflation and high gas prices. Instead, much of the president's attention appears to be focused on his anger toward journalists.
FADEL: NPR's Brian Mann. Thank you, Brian.
MANN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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