Trump Launches 'Trump TV' After Barring Major News Outlets from the White House

President Trump launched a 24/7 YouTube channel called "Trump TV" days after barring reporters from three major news outlets from the White House. The administration says the channel will put its "biggest moments all in one place," but critics have quickly labeled it "state-run media."

The channel opened with the president's remarks, following a Friday post on Trump's social media platform. On Monday, three of the media organizations filed lawsuits challenging the ban. In a joint statement, Fox News Media, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and CNN pushed back on the White House restriction, defending the public's "vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government."

"No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," the statement said.

NPR — which participates in joint, shared coverage of the White House — said it would not comply with the ban. An email from a White House official responded dismissively: "Applying this logic, Mark Kelly's twitter feed is 'state run media' for a party of radical socialists. It doesn't make any sense."

The dispute reflects a broader effort dating back to Trump's first term to control the narrative surrounding his presidency while bypassing a more critical mainstream media, says Stephen Farnsworth, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Mary Washington. "Over and over again, I think President Trump has really decided what he wants to do is tell the Trump story himself."

Jane Kirtley, an emerita professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota, said the creation of a government-backed channel raises fundamental questions about the relationship between the presidency and the free press.

Reporting by NPR. Read the original report: White House launches 'Trump TV' after ban on major news outlets.