A US federal court has temporarily lifted President Donald Trump’s ban on three major news organisations—CNN, MS NOW and Politico—from entering the White House. Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the three outlets of publishing what he called “fake news” about his administration. The organisations rejected the accusations and filed a lawsuit, arguing that the decision unfairly targeted their journalists and violated their constitutional rights. On September 24, US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the Trump administration to restore their press access for 14 days. The judge said the journalists appeared to have had their press credentials removed without adequate legal process and found that the government had provided limited evidence supporting its national-security justification for the ban. The journalists were initially turned away from the White House even after the court order, but access was restored later on Thursday and reporters from all three organisations returned to the White House grounds. The case is still continuing, and the court is expected to consider whether the temporary order should be extended. The dispute has also renewed debate in the United States over press freedom, journalists’ access to the White House and the government’s ability to restrict media organisations based on their reporting.
