By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) – US television networks resumed their coverage of President Donald Trump’s White House events on Friday, amid an ongoing court fight over the administration’s decision to block CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the presidential grounds.
The White House television press pool on Friday aired video of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival at the White House for tea as well as the two leaders’ tour of the National Archives, which houses the US Constitution.
CNN along with ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC share the costs of covering the president and rotate coverage, providing pool footage to other outlets. The other networks’ refusal to set up cameras in solidarity had meant there was no pool coverage of Xi’s visit to Washington until Friday.
Trump has long used the press as a platform and punching bag, and since returning to office his administration has taken an aggressive stance against major news outlets, including limiting access to the Oval Office for some.
Trump declined to answer questions from reporters on China and Iran, his media ban and a controversial new government television ad as Xi arrived at the White House on Friday.
“We appreciate the fair coverage. It’s been very fair. We appreciate it,” Trump later told reporters alongside Xi.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
UNPRECEDENTED CAMPAIGN
Trump had banned the three news outlets from the White House complex over coverage he asserted was false or negative. Their access was reinstated on Thursday after a federal judge deemed the ban likely unconstitutional and ordered their access to be immediately restored.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and other members of his administration, saying the ban violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights.
A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organizations, including Reuters, later filed a legal brief supporting the three news outlets and highlighting press access’ central role to democracy.
Trump’s campaign against the media has been unprecedented. Upending decades of tradition, his White House has denied basic access to many major news organizations, launched personal attacks on journalists and filed multiple lawsuits against news organizations.
On Thursday, Trump made a joke to photographers in the Oval Office about the Chinese having the friendliest press corps, as he welcomed Xi to the White House.
Trump and his fellow Republicans, who are seeking to maintain their narrow majorities in Congress, have decried communism on the campaign trail before the midterms and have falsely accused Democrats of embracing communist ideology.
Xi became head of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012.
While the White House on Thursday told the court it had reinstated CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s access, CNN and MS NOW later said some of their journalists were denied access to cover Xi’s arrival for the White House state dinner, according to the Washington Post.
A lawyer for the three outlets in court this week warned that the White House could again try to revoke the outlets’ White House access as the current litigation continues.
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance which is seeking to merge with CNN-parent Warner Bros Discovery, attended the Trump-Xi state dinner Thursday night.
Critics have raised concerns about Paramount-owned CBS News tailoring coverage to favor Trump although Ellison has promised to create an editorial independence board for both CBS and CNN as part of the deal.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Bo Erickson; Writing by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Andrea Ricci and Deepa Babington)
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