White House Restores Access to Media Outlets Following Judge's Ruling

CNN and MS NOW reporters reported being denied entry to cover a White House state dinner despite a federal judge's ruling that their access must be restored. The judge stated that the White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to allow them access. The ban was imposed by former President Trump, who accused the outlets of spreading 'fake news'. On Thursday morning, journalists from the three outlets were allowed back in, but later in the day, a CNN reporter and an MS NOW reporter were denied entry to cover the arrivals for a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping. CNN reported that about an hour before Xi's arrival, the White House stated that coverage would only be permitted with a photojournalist and audio technician, excluding a reporter and producer. MS NOW reporter Laura Barron-Lopez was informed by White House staff that she could not enter and was advised to contact the White House communications director. The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment. A White House communications account posted on X, stating that media outlets do not have unrestricted access to every part of the White House. Following the judge's ruling, CNN, Politico, and MS NOW reported being denied entry again, leading to a request for an emergency court hearing. The director of White House Operations later confirmed in a court filing that press passes and confiscated badges had been restored by 09:45 local time. Shortly after, all three outlets reported being allowed back in. However, networks including Fox News, NBC, CBS, and ABC, which had withdrawn in solidarity, have not confirmed whether they will resume coverage from the White House. The situation limited some TV coverage as Trump welcomed Xi to the White House. Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the ban likely violated the outlets' constitutional due process rights and questioned the White House's justification for the ban based on national security. He ordered the immediate return of the outlets' press passes and a halt to the ban's enforcement for 14 days. The US Department of Justice had previously accused the news outlets of threatening national security with their coverage. Trump initially announced the ban on Friday, claiming the outlets were reporting 'fiction or lies' about his administration. By Saturday morning, the outlets reported being denied entry and having their press badges confiscated. They accused the Trump administration of violating their constitutional rights and stated they were pursuing legal action to uphold the principle that the government should not dictate press coverage. Over 50 media organizations, including Fox News, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit. Previous administrations have attempted to limit access to certain outlets, including an instance in 2009 when the Obama administration tried to exclude Fox News from a specific press pool interview, but Fox News was ultimately allowed in after objections from other networks.