DOMINANT ANGLE
Athens is gauging the unprecedented scale of the backlash from major American networks against the White House and Trump's immediate response with his own channel, "Trump TV".
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The four major networks CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox News suspended their coverage of the president in a show of solidarity, a move described as "unprecedented" by To Vima
- 02
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a complaint Monday with a federal judge in the District of Columbia, citing the First Amendment, after their credentials were revoked
- 03
The White House launched "Trump TV: The Essentials Station", a platform continuously streaming the "most important moments" of government action, with its first video showing a Trump speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3
ANALYSIS
Athens, September 22, 2026. The Greek press first notes the unprecedented scale of the American television revolt: according to To Vima, the four largest networks in the country, CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox News, have decided to suspend their journalistic coverage of President Donald Trump, a gesture described as an "unprecedented" development since the Republican leader's return to power. The team of accredited journalists has stopped covering presidential events within the "pool", the system that ensures daily filming and distribution of images between competing channels.
The gesture follows the exclusion of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, whose accreditations were withdrawn over the weekend. On Monday, the three media outlets filed a complaint with a federal judge in the District of Columbia, citing the First Amendment to the US Constitution. "This morning, we notified the government that we were filing a complaint today to protect our rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and to defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports and publishes," the three editorial teams said in a joint statement cited by To Vima. "Without warning or procedure, the White House revoked the accreditations of our journalists because it disagrees with our coverage." The editorial teams warn that, if left unchallenged, the measure "threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent information".
Naftemporiki reports that the White House has responded by launching its own digital platform, "Trump TV: The Essentials Station", broadcast continuously and gathering "the most important moments" of government action "in one place". The first video broadcast showed a speech by Trump at Mount Rushmore on July 3. The president's deputy, Kaelan Dorr, presented the channel on X as "a live broadcast of the government's best moments, without a filter".
According to To Vima, rather than replacing CNN in its rotation within the pool, the team of accredited journalists preferred to suspend its entire coverage. The American president, the daily notes, has hardened his rhetoric, describing part of the press as a threat to national security. The hearing before the federal court is expected to take place during the week.
