An unexpected scene unfolded on Monday (21/9) at a White House event, where US President Donald Trump delivered a speech, but no one heard it, as none of the country's major media outlets were present to broadcast the audio via microphones. Only silent footage was broadcast, showing Trump cutting a ribbon while standing next to workers.
This event comes as a result of the boycott announced earlier today by major media outlets in the United States, such as CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, of the live broadcast of the American president, expressing their support for CNN, which Trump expelled from the White House.
"Starting today, the team of accredited journalists covering the US president will not cover events attended by the president that fall under the team's jurisdiction," said Brian Boughton, a Fox spokesman and organizer of the network team responsible for filming the president throughout the day and distributing the resulting material.
Under a long-standing agreement, the five networks take turns filming the President and providing live footage to each other and the wider press. Local television stations, newspaper websites and media outlets around the world rely on this coverage.
The networks' decision follows a standoff that began Friday, when Donald Trump announced in a tweet that he was "banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. On Saturday, reporters from all three outlets were barred from the White House complex and the outlets filed a lawsuit citing the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and protections for freedom of the press.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit
The three US media outlets that were blocked by the White House, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, sued President Donald Trump over the ban, claiming that the decision violates their rights - under the US Constitution - to journalistically cover the US president. In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, the media outlets argue that Trump cannot deny them access simply because he dislikes what he calls "negative" coverage, reserving the right to coverage only to media outlets that praise him.
They also emphasize that the public has the right to "accurate and complete information" about its administration. "This ban could not be a more direct attack on the First Amendment nor a more flagrant violation of our fundamental constitutional principles," the media said.
Who are the journalists that Trump left outside the White House?
Trump has suspended and revoked the credentials of three editors from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. CNN's Betsy Klein, MS NOW's Akayla Gardner and Politico's Cheyenne Haslett all have some history with the US president. ©LAPSI.al
