President Donald Trump’s ban on three major US news organisations took physical effect on Saturday when journalists found their entry badges deactivated and seized.
Journalists from three major American news organisations were stopped at the gates of the White House on Saturday morning, a day after United States President Donald Trump said he was barring them from the presidential complex.
Reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW all reported the same experience: their press badges failed to scan, and officers took the badges from them.
What happened at the gate
An MS NOW reporter and a photographer arrived on Saturday morning and could not get in. "The officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled," the outlet's reporter Akayla Gardner said. She added that when she asked why she was being refused entry, the officer told her the decision was above his level.
Gardner also said an MS NOW producer's badge still worked and she was allowed in, with no explanation given for the difference.
CNN's Betsy Klein said an agent of the Secret Service, the US law enforcement body that protects the president, told her that her badge had been switched off. Politico later said its reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also refused entry and had her pass revoked.
Trump's reason
Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the three outlets of publishing "fiction or lies" about his administration. He did not point to any particular article or broadcast. Pressed later, he said the decision was based on coverage built up over several years.
He also suggested more outlets could face the same treatment, naming The New York Times and The Washington Post as what he called fake news. No formal directive banning additional organisations has been issued.
The newsrooms push back
All three outlets say the ban breaches the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the clause that protects free speech and press freedom.
An MS NOW spokesperson argued that the White House belongs to the American public and is funded by taxpayers, and said the outlet would take every step needed to defend its rights. Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger told staff in an internal email that the company would defend its reporters vigorously. CNN described the ban as an illegal assault on a constitutional right.
The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), the independent non-profit body representing reporters who cover the US presidency, asked the administration to restore access immediately. Its president, Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, warned that a standard used to shut out one newsroom today could be turned on any other newsroom tomorrow.
Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides legal support to media houses, said he expects courts to strike the ban down quickly because it is, in his words, "flatly unconstitutional".
Why Ghanaians should follow this
For Ghanaians in the United States and those at home who rely on American outlets for news, the case tests how far a sitting president can control who reports from the seat of government. It follows earlier legal action by Trump against The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC. Some of those suits ended in multimillion-dollar settlements. The BBC case is still running.
Reported first by MyJoyOnline on 2026-09-19. This article was written for our readers based on that report. Follow the link for the original coverage.
