WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US media groups including Fox News have joined CNN's legal battle to reinstate its senior White House reporter's statements as President Donald Trump's administration insists it has the right to allow or deny journalists access to the president.
This solidarity comes after the CNN network yesterday sought to prosecute the White House after withdrawing the entry permit of its senior correspondent at the White House Jim Acosta following a sharp debate with Trump during a press conference a week ago.
The network said Tuesday it was suing the Trump administration before a federal court in Washington and demanding an immediate injunction to reinstate the entry permit.
The Fox News, owned by Robert Murdoch, Trump's long-cherished ally, confirmed that the withdrawal of reporter Jim Acosta's statement after he had engaged in several debates with the White House master was a move that raised concerns about press freedom.
"Fox News supports CNN in its legal efforts to restore the credentials of its correspondent at the White House," the head of the news station, Guy Wallace, said in a statement released hours before a federal court heard a hearing on the case.
"We intend to present the court's friend's memorandum, which is a legal document supporting the court, and the permits of journalists working in the White House should not be used as a weapon," he said.
"While we do not accept the increasingly hostile tone of both the president and the press at recent media events, we support freedom of the press, access to the White House and open debates for the American people."
Other media groups have expressed their support for CNN, including the Associated Press, Bloomberg, First Look Media Works, Gannett, the National Press Club Institute, NBC News, The New York Times, Politico, The Freedom of Press Foundation, EW Scripps Company, USA Today and the Washington Post.
"Whether today's news is about security, the economy or the environment, White House correspondents should have the freedom to ask questions," media groups said in a joint statement.
"The access of independent journalists to the president and his activities and not to prevent them for arbitrary reasons are indispensable."
On the other hand, the White House confirmed in a legal note that it has "broad discretionary powers" that allow it to restrict media access to the president, in response to accusations that what he did was a violation of the free press protection clause contained in Article 1 of the Constitution.
"The president and the White House have the same broad discretionary powers to organize entry to the White House for journalists and other members of the public and to choose which of them will receive interviews or be accredited to press conferences," the memo said.
"The president can choose not to hold any press conference again and cancel all journalists 'permits," the Justice Department lawyers' memo said, without any legal implications.