CNN, MS NOW and Politico to file lawsuit against Trump's White House ban

CNN, Politico and MS NOW have remarked they will sue the Trump administration after the three US media outlets were barred from the White House.

Key points

• President Donald Trump confirmed the ban on Friday, accusing the three organisations of writing "fiction or lies" concerning his administration.
• "Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting, " the CNN, Politico and MS NOW statement continued.
• The firms stated their reporters were denied access and had their badges seized when attempting to access the building on Saturday.
• "Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."

Meanwhile, the firms stated their reporters were denied access and had their badges seized when attempting to access the building on Saturday.

In a joint statement on Monday, they remarked they were pursuing legal action to "protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes".

Notably, the First Amendment forbids the administration from "abridging" the freedom of the press – language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the administration from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.

Taken together, the developments around CNN, MS NOW and Politico to file lawsuit against Trump' s White House point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.