DOMINANT ANGLE
Athens sees in this ruling a victory for the First Amendment over the logic of retaliation, opposed to three drafts rejected for their critical coverage of the Trump administration.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Federal Judge Tim Kelly ordered on Thursday the restoration of White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists, via a temporary order valid for two weeks.
- 02
Donald Trump had announced the exclusion on September 18 on social media, accusing the three media outlets of spreading "FANTASTICAL STORIES and LIES".
- 03
The Department of Justice cited national security reasons to justify the ban, an argument that Judge Kelly received with skepticism due to a lack of evidence.
ANALYSIS
Athens, September 24, 2026. The Greek press first notes the verdict that strikes Donald Trump in "one of the biggest battles" he is waging against the American media. According to To Vima, Federal Judge Tim Kelly ordered the President of the United States on Thursday to restore access to the White House for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists, estimating that the ban imposed on these three editorial offices was "probably unconstitutional". Naftemporiki specifies that the temporary order remains in effect for two weeks and follows the appeal filed by the three media outlets.
The Athens newspapers recall the origin of the dispute: Donald Trump had announced the exclusion on September 18 via a post on social media, accusing CNN, MS NOW, and Politico of "not being allowed to continually write or broadcast FANTASTICAL STORIES and LIES". The three editorial offices claim to have received no official notification of the measure until later, according to Naftemporiki. The Ministry of Justice then attempted to justify the exclusion on grounds of national security, an argument that Judge Kelly, appointed by Trump himself, received with skepticism, due to a lack of evidence that the editorial offices had been warned in a timely manner.
The Greek press emphasizes the legal grounds invoked by the three media outlets: their complaint accuses Trump and high-ranking officials in his administration of having launched a "direct attack" on the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from legislating to restrict freedom of expression and the press. It also denounces illegal retaliation, related to the critical coverage these editorial offices had provided of the administration.
For To Vima, the decision constitutes a major political setback for Trump, who had made the eviction of these three media outlets a symbol of his power struggle with the press deemed hostile. Naftemporiki describes it as a "first victory" for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico in the context of their lawsuit, while emphasizing its provisional nature: the main judicial procedure remains open, and nothing guarantees that the restored access will be lasting beyond the two weeks set by the order.
