DOJ Targets TV Networks With Antitrust Probe Over White House Coverage

DOJ officials reportedly demanded communications and internal materials from ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News regarding their rotation of presidential footage. The probe centers on the networks' collective decision to halt pool assignments after the administration barred CNN from the press rotation. While DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington cited potential Sherman Act violations concerning group boycotts, legal experts and press freedom advocates have dismissed the move as a politically motivated intimidation tactic.

Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, characterized the inquiry as a pretext to access sensitive records about how news organizations navigate White House media restrictions. Similarly, Jonathan Kanter, the former head of the DOJ's Antitrust Division, rejected the legal theory behind the probe, noting that journalistic collaboration for press pools is fundamentally protected by the First Amendment and bears no resemblance to anticompetitive behavior. The investigation follows a separate legal battle in which a federal judge ordered the administration to restore access to outlets previously barred from the White House.