WashingtonThe Justice Department is investigating 5 networks for boycotting Trump.
Press-freedom group the Committee to Protect Journalists says antitrust probes should not intimidate outlets.
ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News halted White House coverage on 21 September after the administration barred 3 outlets.
“Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” spokeswoman Emily Covington said.
A judge’s reprieve for CNN, MS NOW and Politico runs only until Tuesday.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 80+ reports worldwide
- Bloomberg Business
- Deutsche Welle leans critical
- cites CPJ's Jose Zamora warning that antitrust probes could intimidate outlets defending press access
- Al Jazeera Online
- frames the probe as added legal and financial pressure on networks to keep covering Trump even when they disagree with the White House
- The Times of Israel
- notes the New York Times broke the probe and that networks had not responded to comment requests
- Economic Times
- places the probe in the White House press pool's history as a proxy for press-access fights and CNN's lawsuit that restored access
Sources: Bloomberg Business, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera Online, The Times of Israel, Economic Times