‘Extraordinary Show of Solidarity!’ Media World Floored By Rival Networks Banding Together to Fight Trump Ban
Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News joined together on Monday and pulled their TV cameras from White House pool, effectively boycotting coverage of the Trump White House following the ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," said the five networks that make up the White House TV press pool in a joint statement.
The move was led by White House TV pool rotational chair and Fox News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton, who wrote, "Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President. This follows the White House's position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place." Boughton's advisory was for Monday, and it is unclear if it applies going forward.
Many across the media world were stunned by the remarkable banding together of industry rivals.
New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin reacted online, writing, "This kind of joint response from the major networks, combined with the suspension of the TV pool, is very unusual. An extraordinary show of solidarity from the press."
Many on the MAGA right fumed at Fox News over the move. Conservative Radio host Todd Starnes replied, "There is absolutely no difference between the newsrooms at Fox and CNN or PMS-NOW. The only question is whether President Trump will pull the plug on administration officials doing interviews on Fox."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics...ow-solidarity-media-world-171711331.html