TV Networks Protested Press Bans by Declining To Cover Trump. That Might Have Been Illegal, the DOJ Says.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into five major television networks—ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News—that compose the White House press pool. The probe follows a brief suspension of pool coverage by these networks in protest of President Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds. The DOJ is investigating whether this collective refusal to provide video coverage constitutes an illegal 'group boycott' under the Sherman Antitrust Act, while network advocates and legal experts argue the protest was a protected First Amendment activity rather than a commercial conspiracy.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into five major television networks—ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News—that compose the White House press pool. The probe follows a brief suspension of pool coverage by these networks in protest of President Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds. The DOJ is investigating whether this collective refusal to provide video coverage constitutes an illegal 'group boycott' under the Sherman Antitrust Act, while network advocates and legal experts argue the protest was a protected First Amendment activity rather than a commercial conspiracy.