DOJ investigation

The Department of Justice is looking into whether CBS, CNN, ABC, NBC and Fox News violated federal antitrust laws when they stopped pool coverage of President Donald Trump.

Pool coverage suspension

The five networks suspended their pool of Trump events after he banned CNN from the White House.

DOJ demands records

Six people told The New York Times that Justice Department officials demanded communications and materials about the White House TV pool.

DOJ claims boycott

Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington confirmed the DOJ investigation to the New York Times, saying the affected networks 'proudly boycotted covering White House events'.

“proudly boycotted covering white house events”

Antitrust law

The Sherman Act prohibits activities that restrict competition in the marketplace.

Legal expert opinion

William E. Kovacic, a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, told the New York Times this does not apply if the primary objective is political speech.

Press freedom concerns

Reporters Committee President Bruce D. Brown said the investigation appears to be a pretext for seeking records from the networks about how they cover daily White House events.

Intimidation fears

Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ regional director for the Americas, described the government’s antitrust investigation as a way to intimidate news outlets defending press access.

“a way to intimidate news outlets defending press access”