The Justice Department is investigating five major television news networks over possible violations of federal antitrust laws after they collectively suspended coverage of President Donald Trump in protest of his decision to bar certain news organizations from the White House.
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ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News are under scrutiny after participating in a temporary boycott of the White House television press pool, according to six people familiar with the investigation who spoke to The New York Times.
Justice Department officials contacted the networks Friday, requesting communications and documents concerning the coordinated suspension of coverage.
The White House television pool is a longstanding arrangement in which competing networks take turns recording presidential events and distributing footage to other media organizations.
The networks suspended their pooled coverage for several days in September after Trump prohibited CNN journalists from entering White House grounds, preventing the network from fulfilling its pool responsibilities.
The Justice Department is now examining whether the coordinated action constituted an unlawful group boycott under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
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“Members of the television press pool have proudly boycotted covering White House events. Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said Saturday.
“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she added.
The controversy began Sept. 18 when Trump barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, citing what he characterized as deliberately negative reporting.
The three organizations subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging that the restrictions violated their First Amendment rights. The Trump administration defended the decision, arguing that White House access is a privilege rather than an unconditional right.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the restrictions, with that order scheduled to expire Tuesday.
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