White House Expands Press Freedom Through Selective Bans

The White House celebrated a historic expansion of press freedom Wednesday by continuing its court fight to remove news organizations it considers insufficiently ornamental. CNN, MS NOW and Politico asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to extend an order restoring their access while they challenge President Donald Trump’s September 18 ban. Kelly previously found that the outlets were likely denied due process, an outdated ceremony in which the government explains a punishment before administering it.

The administration maintains that excluding credentialed reporters protects national security, because few threats are more severe than an identified journalist entering a federal building and asking why the president did something. “Nobody respects the First Amendment more than me, and it very clearly gives the president the first amendment of every story,” Trump said. “If the coverage is beautiful and accurate about me, they come in. If it’s negative accuracy, which is the fakest accuracy, they go out.” Officials said this interpretation preserves a robust free press while sparing the public from information that has not completed the White House beautification process.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has argued that White House access is “a privilege, not a right,” correctly recognizing that constitutional protections become more secure when converted into revocable customer-loyalty benefits. Under that standard, reporters may accumulate access points through favorable headlines, flattering photographs and the disciplined avoidance of follow-up questions. Points can be deducted without notice for adjectives, context or visible skepticism.

Lawyers for the outlets contend that the administration is engaging in viewpoint discrimination merely because Trump banned organizations over viewpoints he disliked. White House officials rejected that reasoning, noting that the president dislikes numerous other outlets and has not yet removed every one of them. Kelly’s order expires October 8, leaving the three organizations temporarily free to report from the White House and expose Americans to information not personally inspected for freshness by the president. The First Amendment is therefore strongest when the government decides who may use it.

* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.