Justice Department investigating television networks over Trump pool coverage
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating major television networks to determine if their coordinated suspension of White House pool coverage violated antitrust laws. The boycott occurred after the Trump administration revoked credentials for several journalists.
Why it matters
This investigation highlights the tension between government press access and media industry business practices, raising questions about First Amendment rights and competition law.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Madeline Halpert EPA The row over the White House pool affected live TV coverage of Trump events last month The US justice department (DoJ) has said it is investigating several TV networks over whether they broke federal competition laws when they recently suspended pool coverage of President Donald Trump.
Last month, five networks paused their presidential coverage for several days in response to the Trump administration withdrawing the credentials of reporters from CNN, MS Now and Politico.
The justice department asked ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News to hand over communications related to the pool and said that the boycott could violate the Sherman Act, referring to a law that bars companies from engaging in monopolistic business practices.
Pool members usually share their material with the wider media.
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2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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