Salt Lake City, UT, September 24, 2026 — The Trump administration has barred several news organizations, including CNN, MS Now, and Politico, from attending White House press briefings and accessing the grounds. The decision to restrict press access was announced by administration officials, who cited a 2011 opinion piece written by Mitt Romney for the Boston Herald as justification for their stance on limiting media engagement.

Administration officials stated that the 2011 op-ed by then-Governor Mitt Romney in the Boston Herald demonstrated a pattern of media bias that the administration considers when making decisions about press access. The specific details of how this 2011 article is being applied to the current bans were not further elaborated upon by the administration at the time of the report.

The ban impacts the ability of reporters from the affected organizations to cover White House events, receive updates directly from officials, and ask questions during formal press briefings. The justification provided by the administration centers on the perceived bias exhibited by these outlets, as evidenced by the cited opinion piece. The exact criteria or threshold for what constitutes disqualifying bias were not detailed.

CNN, MS Now, and Politico are prominent news organizations that regularly cover the activities of the White House and the federal government. Their exclusion raises questions about transparency and the flow of information from the executive branch to the public.

The administration’s defense of its decision, by referencing a decade-old opinion editorial, suggests a broader rationale for managing its relationship with the press corps. Further details regarding the duration of the bans or specific policies governing press access were not provided.


Story summarized from the original created by Jennifer Graham on www.deseret.com, see more information here.

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