WASHINGTON – The Justice Department said it is investigating five major television networks for potentially violating federal antitrust laws after the networks temporarily refused to provide collective coverage of President Donald Trump, a department spokesperson said. The investigation into the networks that make up the White House television press group (NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News) is underway, and the department sent out “civil investigative demands” on Friday, according to a Justice Department official. “Television press group members have boycotted coverage of White House events. Group boycotts among business competitors may violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated antitrust laws,” department spokeswoman Emily Covington said Saturday. The group is a rotating group of networks that share the task of recording the president’s activities during public appearances and trips. The network that performs the group’s tasks then distributes information and media, such as video and audio streams, to other media. The New York Times first reported on the investigation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ABC News said it has not received any notification from the Justice Department, but expects to. Representatives for NBC, CBS and CNN declined to comment. Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investigation appears to be the latest move by the White House in its growing dispute with the press. Last month, Trump banned CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House grounds, citing what he said were “their constant FAKE NEWS ‘reporting’.” The other networks in the television group briefly refused to participate in the group’s assignments after CNN was eliminated from its spot in the rotation. CNN, MS Now and Politico sued the ban, claiming it constituted a violation of the First Amendment. They were reinstated about a week later, after a judge ruled that the administration had to temporarily restore their access for 14 days. A federal judge this week extended the order until Tuesday. The five major networks issued a joint statement at the time, saying: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about their government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” The pool system has been recognized by administrations of both parties for decades, and coverage is used by members and subscribers of the pool, which includes outlets such as Newsmax, One America News Network, C-SPAN and international media. During the time when the media declined to provide collective coverage, individual television networks, including NBC News, continued to provide coverage of White House events that were open to the press, outside of the group. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said in a statement that the First Amendment protects the decisions news organizations make about coverage, and called the investigation “another even more brazen attempt to try to intimidate journalists.” Kelly O’Donnell reported from Washington and Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles.
