The U.S. justice department has opened an antitrust investigation into five major TV networks—ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News—after they halted shared coverage of President Donald Trump in late September.
The networks paused coverage in response to the Trump administration’s removal of their credentials for the White House press pool, a move that prompted dozens of reporters and news outlets to file lawsuits alleging violations of First Amendment rights.
In its request to the broadcasters, the Justice Department cited the Sherman Act—federal law that bans conspiratorial business practices and monopolization. A spokesperson said the Antitrust Division is “simply investigating whether these news organisations have violated antitrust laws.”
Historically, the White House press pool has been managed by the White House Correspondents’ Association and granted broad access to the president. The Trump administration’s new restrictions, announced in February, included a move to bar Associated Press reporters from key venues such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.
The legal battles have intensified since the administration blocked CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, claiming the outlets “wrote fiction or lies” about the president’s team. A judge’s ruling later reinstated their access, but the boycott by media networks continued, raising questions about collective press action and potential anti‑competitive effects.
The networks have not yet issued statements in response to the DOJ’s inquiry. Meanwhile, the lawsuit continues to unfold, with media organisations pushing back against what they see as an attempt to silence dissenting coverage of the Trump administration.
