Antitrust allegations could be forthcoming for corporate media networks as the Department of Justice reportedly made contact over the current feud with the White House.
Despite piles of reports quantifying the skewed coverage from major media outlets, especially where it concerns partisan issues, the so-called fourth branch of government has continued to project an unbiased character. Contrary to the networks’ high opinions of themselves, the Justice Department was said to have reached out as part of an investigation into whether the law was violated through suspension of pool coverage.
According to a report from The New York Times, ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News are the focus of the DOJ as, “Officials from the Justice Department contacted networks on Friday and demanded communications and materials related to the White House TV pool.”
“The pool is a longstanding system where the networks share the responsibility of providing footage of the president and distributing it to other news outlets,” detailed the Times before recalling network solidarity had resulted in a temporary suspension of pool coverage after several outlets were outright banned. That suspension could prove to be a violation of federal antitrust laws.
“Members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events,” expressed Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington in a statement. “Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”
As explained by the DOJ, the Sherman Act “prohibits conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade. Under the Sherman Act, agreements among competitors to fix prices or wages, rig bids, or allocate customers, workers, or markets, are criminal violations. Other agreements such as exclusive contracts that reduce competition may also violate the Sherman Antitrust Act and are subject to civil enforcement.”
It further states that the law “makes it illegal to monopolize, conspire to monopolize, or attempt to monopolize a market for products or services.”
The White House officially banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House in September, prompting solidarity from other networks along with a legal fight. After a federal judge temporarily ordered the administration to restore White House access to the outlets, CNN was barred from the traveling press pool on a presidential trip to Texas and Oklahoma in response. The block is set to expire Tuesday.
WH skirts judge’s order and boots CNN off traveling press pool https://t.co/TRszAUq21C via @BIZPACReview
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) October 1, 2026
According to NBC News, its own parent company declined to comment alongside CBS and CNN, while Fox News did not respond to requests for comment. ABC News contended that, though it expects to hear from the DOJ, it had not received a notification.
Meanwhile, after the ban was initiated, the White House launched “Trump TV,” providing round-the-clock access to “the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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