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The White House signaled CNN would be left off Air Force One for President Donald Trump's Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, replacing it with conservative outlet Real America's Voice News. The move is the latest media restriction in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications.
The White House signaled Friday night that CNN would be left off Air Force One for U.S. President Donald Trump's Saturday trip, the latest media restriction from the administration in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications.
The news organization was replaced by Real America's Voice News, a conservative outlet, for the president's trip to Knoxville, Tenn. , according to White House guidance. Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday. The spot that was meant for CNN on this flight has long been saved for a member of the U.S. network video pool, which Real America's Voice News is not a part of.
Judge Strikes Down White House Ban
The pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets that take turns shooting and sharing video. The news came just after journalists from three news outlets that Trump banned last week from the White House grounds - CNN, MS NOW and Politico - returned to the executive complex with TV cameras, laptops and microphones in hand. A judge temporarily struck down the ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his decision didn't directly address the pool.
The temporary order from the judge mentioned only the White House grounds and said nothing directly about Air Force One. The networks continued to refrain from covering Trump as part of the pool, even as reporters from all three outlets were allowed back in the White House. Theodore Boutrous Jr., the news outlets' attorneys, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on Friday night.
For a while earlier Friday, the U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation for the first time since Trump banned the three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access. Boutrous had said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly also covers the issue of pool access.
At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: Trump and China's Xi Visit National Archives. It was a routine report from a state visit - but for the fact that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days.
Network Video Pool Returns to Operation
As of now, all systems are go, said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation. When the White House banned CNN - which belongs to the pool - from White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity.
After Donald Trump blocked CNN from its scheduled TV pool duties, other major broadcasters in the press pool joined together to suspend pooled coverage. CNN did not comment directly earlier Friday, referring instead to its editorial coverage. But Brian Stelter, the network's media analyst, posted on X that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network's credentials.
The White House has not commented on the reason for replacing CNN with Real America's Voice News for the Air Force One trip. The administration has repeatedly clashed with mainstream media outlets over coverage. Trump's trip to Knoxville is scheduled for Saturday, with the college football game between Tennessee and Texas set for midday. The president's travel plans often include a pool of journalists who report on his activities.
Press Freedom Advocates Criticize Ban
The ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds drew widespread criticism from press freedom advocates. The judge's temporary ruling allowed the reporters back into the White House but left questions about pool access unresolved. It remains unclear whether the White House will allow the network pool to resume normal operations for future trips.
The replacement of CNN with a conservative outlet for Air Force One suggests the administration may continue to restrict access for certain media organizations.
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CTVToronto:CNN left off Air Force One for Trump’s upcoming trip, White House signals in new media restrictionThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
CNN Air Force One White House Media Restrictions Real America's Voice News
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