The major US TV networks resumed their general coverage of official events with President Donald Trump on September 25, after a several-day boycott of the TV pool ended. ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News participate in it, which on a rotational basis film the presidential events and provide the signal to the other media.
The restoration came a day after a federal judge temporarily restored access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico to the White House. The three media outlets were removed by the administration after Trump accused them of false and negative coverage. The court ruling was deemed likely necessary to protect the constitutional rights of the media.
Pool resumes for Xi Jinping meeting
The first major event to see restored television coverage was the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington. CBS took over the White House, while CNN covered Trump and Xi Jinping's meeting at the National Archives, where the two reviewed documents related to the history of the United States.
Reuters reported that the television pool had resumed operations, with CBS assigned to handle the White House signal and CNN assigned to handle the event at the National Archives. Until then, Xi Jinping's visit had been without the usual general television coverage.
The outage began on September 21 after the administration refused to allow CNN to cover its coverage. Then, the chairman of the television pool, Brian Boughton of Fox News, informed the media organizations: “Starting today, the television pool will not cover events designated as the president's pool events“. ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN jointly stated that “the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate and independent information about its government“.
White House Restricts CNN Again
The restoration of the pool's work did not end the conflict. On September 26, the White House did not allow CNN to board the presidential plane for Trump's trip to Tennessee. The president was scheduled to attend a college football game, and CNN was scheduled to cover the trip as part of the television pool's rotation.
This decision created a new controversy, since only a day earlier CNN was again participating in general television coverage. According to the “Washington Post“ The other networks have resumed operations, but the new restriction on CNN raises questions about whether the pool will be able to operate under the current rules.
The television pool is the main mechanism through which the American and international media receive live footage of events with the president, especially when the venue does not allow for the presence of all the operators. During the shutdown, the White House relied on its own video feed, but it did not completely replace the general media coverage.
Sources: New York Times, Reuters