CBS News has reported that MS NOW, CNN, and Politico staff members were turned away from entering the White House on Saturday morning. This followed President Trump’s announcement of a ban on these three outlets.

Witnesses saw MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner, along with a cameraman, unable to access the White House premises at 8 a.m. Their press passes were revoked, and Gardner reported on MS NOW that her pass was disabled when trying to enter. She stated that the security personnel informed her the decision was beyond their control.

CNN’s senior White House reporter Betsy Klein faced similar issues, being forced to leave without her credentials. Secret Service also denied Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett entrance to the White House, confiscating her pass.

“We intend to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy,” MS NOW declared in a statement. They emphasized that the White House functions with American tax dollars and belongs to the citizenry.

CNN reaffirmed their commitment to continue reporting on government actions regardless of physical restrictions imposed on access by the White House or attempts to hinder their journalistic efforts.

Politico’s editor-in-chief, Jonathan Greenberger, sent an email to the newsroom expressing strong support for Haslett and reiterated their determination to defend First Amendment rights rigorously.

Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and Fox News reporter, stated that revoking these reporters’ passes infringes on First Amendment rights. The association is urging the administration to restore access immediately. Heinrich highlighted the danger in setting a precedent that could be arbitrarily applied to exclude any news outlet due to coverage.

President Trump criticized the outlets as producers of “fake news” without specifying particular stories. This action continues his history of contentious relationships with media organizations.

Previous incidents include barring the Associated Press after their refusal to label the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”; they were later sued on First Amendment grounds. Similarly, during Trump’s first term, CNN sued to regain access for reporter Jim Acosta after a confrontational exchange, winning the case.

Jessica Levinson, legal analyst for CBS News, described the current ban as potential content-based discrimination, a concept directly guarded against by the First Amendment.