Media Outlets Denied Access to White House Dinner Despite Court Ruling

CNN and MS NOW reporters were 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. President Trump had barred these outlets, accusing them of spreading 'fake news'. On Thursday morning, journalists from the three outlets were allowed back into the White House. However, later that evening, a CNN reporter and an MS NOW reporter reported being denied access to cover the arrival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. CNN stated that an hour before the event, the White House informed them that they could only send a photojournalist and audio technician, not a full reporting team. MS NOW reporter Laura Barron-Lopez was also denied entry and 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 all areas of the White House. Following the ruling, CNN, Politico, and MS NOW reported being denied entry again on Thursday morning, prompting a request for an emergency court hearing. The director of White House Operations stated in a court filing that press passes 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 However, networks including Fox News, NBC, CBS, and ABC, which had withdrawn in solidarity, have not confirmed their return to coverage from the White House.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 justification of the ban on national security grounds. He ordered the immediate return of the outlets' press passes and a halt to the enforcement of the ban for 14 days. The US Department of Justice had previously accused the news outlets of threatening national security with their coverage. Trump announced the ban last Friday, claiming the outlets were spreading 'fiction or lies' about his administration. Each outlet 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 press freedoms. More than 50 media organizations filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit, including Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Previous administrations have also attempted to limit access to certain media outlets, including an instance in 2009 when the Obama administration tried to exclude Fox News from a press pool interview.