DOMINANT ANGLE
Pretoria is gauging this showdown in light of the federal court in Washington, noting that the fate of CNN, MS Now and Politico will now depend on a judge, not a presidential decree.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The press credentials of journalists Betsy Klein (CNN), Akayla Gardner (MS Now), and Cheyenne Haslett (Politico) were deactivated on Saturday, following Trump's announcement of the ban on Friday.
- 02
The three media outlets are seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court in Washington, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
- 03
Trump wrote on Monday that the measure targeted "FAKE NEWS", which he called a "threat to our national security", without providing evidence, and the White House launched a continuous broadcast called "Trump TV" on YouTube the same evening.
ANALYSIS
Pretoria, September 22, 2026. The lawsuit filed on Monday by CNN, MS Now, and Politico against the Trump administration is holding the attention of the South African press as a real-life test of the American First Amendment. According to accounts reported by Business Day and TimesLIVE, the White House press passes of the three journalists - Betsy Klein for CNN, Akayla Gardner for MS Now, and Cheyenne Haslett for Politico - were deactivated on Saturday, following Donald Trump's announcement of their ban for coverage he deemed "fake news". The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, note the two publications, which describe a "clear escalation" of a presidential strategy being carried out "in court and through administrative means" to restrict the work of undesirable journalists.
In their complaint filed with the federal court in Washington, the three media outlets are seeking a temporary restraining order to suspend the measure, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. "This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment or a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," they state in a joint statement cited by Daily Maverick, adding: "the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes".
Donald Trump defended his decision on Monday on social media, writing that it was not an "assault on the free press" but against "FAKE NEWS", which he described as a "threat to our national security" - without providing evidence, Daily Maverick notes. On the same day, the White House launched "Trump TV", a continuous broadcast on YouTube dedicated to the administration's announcements and highlights.
Daily Maverick places the episode in an unprecedented presidential campaign against the media: refusal to accredit numerous editorial offices, personal attacks against journalists, promotion of more favorable titles, and multiplication of lawsuits against the press by Trump himself.
For the South African press, familiar with the historical tensions between the executive power and editorial offices, the episode illustrates the fragility of a constitutional right presented as a global model: the fate of the three media outlets will now depend on a federal judge, not a presidential decree.
