Camera operators working for MS NOW were turned away from the White House over the weekend after the U.S. Secret Service confiscated their press badges at a security gate.

It follows President Trump’s announcement on social media on Friday that he was banning so-called “Fake News” outlets CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House “effective immediately.”

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” Trump adds on Truth Social. The President didn’t cite any specific examples.

After news broke that journalists from the three named publications were turned away by security outside the West Wing, the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) put out a statement condemning the White House and calling for restoration of the journalists’ access.

“The First Amendment’s protection of a free press does not depend on whether the President likes a journalist’s questions, images, or reporting,” says Alex Garcia, NPPA president.

“The government cannot use access to the White House as a reward for favorable coverage or withdraw it as punishment for critical coverage. Those constitutional protections belong to photographers and video journalists as well as to reporters.”

Garcia says that for photographers and camera operators, “physical proximity is indispensable.”

“They must be present to photograph and record events as they unfold, including unscripted moments that cannot be recreated afterward,” Garcia says.

“Their images become part of the visual history of the presidency and let the public see government at work.”

“The ban could also affect audiences beyond the targeted outlets: CNN participates in the television pool that shares footage of the President with other news organizations when only one camera crew can attend,” he adds.

Trump’s War With the Media

It marks the second time that Trump has restricted access for media outlets during his second term as president: he banned the Associated Press (AP) from the White House in February 2025.

At the time, Trump blamed the news agency’s refusal to change its stylebook entry for the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

However, new reporting suggests that Trump was also unhappy with AP for refusing to give him the rights to the iconic Butler assassination attempt photo taken by Evan Vucci.

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